Tokyo Nights
by TheAlchemist'sDaughter
Summary: Kaoru, leader of the Dojo, supernatural haven of Tokyo, takes in a wandering vampire, and discovers that he is much darker than he lets on. Meanwhile, Shishio Makoto is taking over Japan, and this rurouni is the only person who can stop him. AU
1. The Akabeko

Chapter 1

A little bell over the door rang as Kaoru shouldered it open and stepped into the modest restaurant. The well-lit, well-heated diner was a welcome contrast to the pitch black of the city's icy winter nights. Kaoru shook herself as she peeled off her gloves and loosened her scarf. Though the Akabeko wasn't far from the Dojo, on a night like that it was far enough to make you forget what warmth felt like.

Kaoru quickly scanned the deserted room until she came to a face she recognised.  
"Hey, Megumi." she said, having walked over to slide into the seat next to her friend, a beautiful woman of twenty-eight.

"Hey." she replied unenthusiastically. Megumi continued to focus on the papers spread out in front of her, rifling through them every now and again.

"I hate the winter." said Kaoru, unfastening her coat as the diner's central-heating became too much for her.

"So do I. It wreaks havoc with my skin." said Megumi, finally tearing her eyes away from her work. Kaoru looked uncertain,

"I just meant it makes me cold." she said. Just then Tae, the owner of the Akabeko wandered over, pen and pad poised for an order.

"Can I get you anything, Kaoru?" she asked with a smile.

"A coffee would be great, Tae, thanks." answered Kaoru, smiling back.

"And you, Megumi?" Megumi lifted her still full cup without saying anything.

"Right you are. Tsubame!" she called to a young girl behind the counter, "Coffee, table three!" The girl nodded and reached for a cup under the counter. Tae went off to deal with another customer, a trucker, eager to get back to the road.

"Another all-nighter?" asked Megumi as Kaoru rubbed her tired eyes. Kaoru laughed,

"'Another' implies something out of the ordinary. I'm almost as nocturnal as they are." she said.

"You shouldn't work so hard, let someone else cover your shift once in a while. You have almost no social life." said Megumi.

"Thank you for that little bit of sympathy, Megumi, even if it did end up as snide as ever." Megumi just shrugged,

"I'm just saying it would do you good to get out and have some fun. You're never going to meet a man if you carry on like this."

"I don't see a ring on _your_ finger." replied Kaoru, tired of having this same conversation over and over again. Sometimes Megumi could act more like her mother than her friend, just because she was a couple of years older than her. Well okay, seven years older, but even so. It wasn't like Kaoru wasn't already painfully aware of her current hermit-hood.

"Yes, but that's by choice. I don't need some lazy, smelly, good-for-nothing following me around spending my money." replied Megumi haughtily.

"Oh, and you think I do? Thanks a lot." said Kaoru, starting to get indignant.

"That's not what I meant…" sighed Megumi, but she was interrupted by Tsubame bringing Kaoru's coffee.

"Your coffee, Miss Kaoru." she said in her tiny, mouse-like voice.

"Thank you Tsubame." said Kaoru, wrapping her chilled fingers around the hot mug as the girl returned to her post at the counter. She inhaled the full, warm aroma of the steaming ambrosia gratefully, closing her eyes. The Akabeko had the best cup o'joe in town. She heard the bell over the door chime again and felt a blast of biting wind on her face. She opened her eyes reluctantly,

"Speaking of lazy, smelly, good-for-nothings," said Kaoru to Megumi, "look who it is." Megumi groaned as she spotted the almost too-tall street-fighter weave his way towards them through the other tables.

"Hello, Sano." said Kaoru and the man folded himself onto the plastic, red bench opposite them.

"Hey, Jou-chan, Megumi." he replied, nodding to each of them in turn and running a hand through his gravity-immune hair. Megumi ignored him, bent over her papers once more.

"Aren't you cold?" asked Kaoru, eyeing his customary white shirt and bandages that even the sub-zero temperature hadn't forced him to change out of.

"Huh? Oh, no. Weather resistance kinda comes with the territory." he answered, leaning closer secretively.

"I see." said Kaoru, feeling slightly better. He caught her eye and grinned. Kaoru had known Sano long enough to recognise when he was trying to appeal to her better nature and braced herself for the inevitable entreaty.

"So," he began, bouncing a little, like a child. "Do I get my free meal now?"

"No." answered Megumi.

"Aw, c'mon, Kitsune, I've been working the streets for _days. _They don't serve food in those bars, you know." he argued, looking hurt.

"And if they did it wouldn't make a difference because you haven't got any money." replied Megumi, leaning forward towards him. He dropped his elbow on the table, index finger pointing accusingly at her,

"That's besides the point." he said, "We have a deal."

"He's right, you know." said Kaoru, causing them both to look at her. "We do have a deal." Sano nodded, holding his hands out in vindication. "Sano gets a free meal,"

"Thanks, Jou-chan, I knew I could count on _you_." he said mock-glaring at Megumi.

"- if he has any information for us." finished Kaoru. Sano's jaw dropped. "Do you, Sano?"

Sano looked uncomfortable, "Well, I mean, it's not my fault if there's nothing going on, is it? And it doesn't mean I wasn't trying…."

"Ha, I knew it." said Megumi cruelly.

"Well, wait just a minute, Kitsune, I didn't say I had nothing." The two women looked at him expectantly, but Megumi looked at him slightly less forgivingly. "Er, there's been some talk of some big cheese vampire going to see the alphas. And a wolf went missing last week down in Kyoto….."

"I don't think that warrants a free meal, do you, Kaoru?"

"Oh, come on, guys! They don't wanna talk to me anymore! They're getting suspicious, and it's not like they ever liked me in the first place! Do you know what they'd do to me if they ever found out I was working for you guys?"

"He _is_ putting himself in danger for us." said Kaoru to Megumi who still looked sceptical.

"Yeah, and remember how useful I've been in the past." Sano put his arms on the table in front of Megumi and slid forward on them until his eyes were lower than hers, which was no small feat. He pouted and gave her puppy-dog eyes, while whimpering a little too realistically.

"Oh alright" sighed Megumi, looking away. Sano punched the air in victory, then signalled Tae. Kaoru watched in awe as he ordered an endless list of anything and everything that was fried, grilled or roasted, the only condition being that it was formerly alive. Satisfied, he leant back against the chair, watching Tae walk away, re-reading his order and shaking her head in amazement.

"It's not like you could fight your way out of danger, anyway." murmured Megumi. Sano's head shot to look at her.

"What did you say?" he asked, his voice lined with menace for the first time.

"Megumi, you know why we don't take Sano with us. He's too useful as a spy to be recognized." said Kaoru, silently entreating Sano not to over-react while cursing Megumi in her head for being so callous. She knew that was one of Sano's sore-spots.

There was a moment of silence while Sano looked daggers at Megumi and she looked down her nose at him.

"Fine." spat Megumi at last, and they looked away from each other. There was another silence and the air sang with the tension, then Sano said,

"So Jou-chan, you seeing anybody?"

"Oh, for Heavens sake!" cried Kaoru. She knew it wasn't a come-on, it was just that her non-existent love-life seemed to be everybody's business nowadays.

"What? You don't want to be alone forever." Sano continued with his usual level of tact.

"Right that's it, I'm leaving." Kaoru announced dramatically. She slid out of her seat just as Tae appeared with her arms laden with food. Sano, catching sight of the steaming feast, straightened himself out and rubbed his hands together excitedly. Tae carefully put the plates down in front of him, then rubbed her aching arms.

"What do you say?" said Megumi, rather dejectedly.

"Fank 'ou, Me'umi." Sano sang, already stuffing his face, and flashed her a smile of chewed steak and pancakes. She looked away in disgust,

"Ugh, don't bother." she said, putting her hand to her mouth as if she was about to be sick. "You're disgusting, you know that?" Sano, thankfully, kept his mouth shut and instead he shrugged and batted his eyelashes at her.

"I trust you two will be able to handle anything that comes along by yourselves?" asked Kaoru. Megumi didn't reply but Sano gave her a thumbs-up then waved her away, so she wrapped her scarf around her neck, did up her coat and headed for the door.

Bracing herself, she pushed open the door, making the little bell jingle again. The cold wind hit her in the face as if it had been waiting for her. She jammed her hands in her pockets as it pulled her hair away from her, freezing her ears and chilling her neck. It was always worse than she remembered it, the winter, and she was soon longing for the warm diner. But she just bent her head and carried on, thinking _God, I hate winter._

She was about a block away now and walking faster. She cursed her numbed legs for being so slow and keeping her out in the cold for longer than was absolutely necessary. Up in a tree next to her a raven cawed loudly. Kaoru hardly even noticed, but then a second one cawed at her a few steps ahead.

_Oh, come on, not you too. Can't a girl get a break?_ she thought eyeing the raven. A third fluttered down ahead of her and suddenly they were all cawing loudly and insistently. Kaoru slowed down and looked closer at the birds.

She had only ran a few feet when she felt an iron grip on her arms and her world turned black. Well, _blacker._


	2. The Cell

Chapter 2  


Kaoru shifted uncomfortably on the hard, stone floor. Her vision exploded in white fireworks as she sat up and groaned. For a moment all she could do was hold her head and close her eyes. She felt like she had the worst hang-over of her life. Reluctantly she opened her eyes again, but that didn't make her feel any better. She appeared to be in some sort of basement. One meagre candle burning feebly in the corner closest to her illuminated a room - if that's what you'd call it - made of stone slabs that glistened faintly from chronic damp. A short flight of granite steps led up to a threatening-looking door. The other side of the room was in darkness. Kaoru relaxed a bit; she may be a prisoner, but she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. It was time to think about this calmly and rationally, and find her way out. The only exit she could see was the door that, upon closer inspection, looked unfortunately like some kind of reinforced steel. There were no windows.

Kaoru was just about to attempt kneeling when she heard a sound like chains clinking in the opposite, darkest corner. She froze, eyes slowly turning to search the oblivion for signs of life. No light reached the corner, it was impossible to see anything at all, but if she squinted, and used her imagination, she could just about make out the form a person sitting propped against the wall. It looked sinisterly as if it was watching her. Kaoru was just trying to decide if she was really seeing this half-image or not when it moved. Not much, just a slight hand adjustment, but suddenly the wavering indentations in shadow that had made up the figure became solid and undeniable lines. Kaoru screamed.

The person darted forward, reaching towards her, as she scooted up against the wall as far away as she could manage.  
"Please, I won't hurt you." said a light voice. He - Kaoru could see now that it was a he - had come within the reach of the tiny candle's light and Kaoru had a chance to examine him properly. His hair was longer than she'd ever seen on a man, and a red-brown colour, tied back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. His eyes must have been some kind of blue but in the dusk of the cell they looked violet. He also had a deep scar on his cheek in the shape of a cross. He was naturally pale and had a slight build, and Kaoru could tell he'd only just be taller than her when he stood up, but Kaoru was most surprised by his clothes. He was wearing a gi and hakama, which was very unusual for twenty-first century Tokyo. The hakama was white, and the gi was probably red, but again it was hard to tell. He looked generally concerned.

"That's okay" said Kaoru, lowering her hands slowly, "You just startled me." The man began to settle back in his corner but Kaoru motioned to him to stop. "Wait, er , don't go back there again. I can't see you like that." she said unsteadily. He looked at her for a moment with an expression of simple-minded surprise, before he smiled slightly and crawled more towards her. As he moved, Kaoru could hear a heavy chain scrape along the flagstones, and when she looked she could see that his ankle was in fact shackled to the wall.

"How come you're chained up?" she asked, wondering for the first time how he ended up being taken captive by vampires. Kaoru knew she'd been kidnapped by vampires because a) she hadn't seen or heard them sneak up on her and b) that was a risk you ran in her line of work. But then, it could also be werewolves.

"Oh, I suppose they just don't want me escaping." he replied, smiling at her again. "Well, that door looks pretty secure to me." said Kaoru, nodding at the door in front of them. He didn't say anything. "So do you know who's kidnapped us?" she tried again.

"His name is Makoto Shishio." he said, tensely. Kaoru waited for more but none came. This stranger wasn't being very helpful. It was time she figured out an escape route. She pulled herself to her feet and dusted herself off.

"What's your name, anyway?" she asked, looking down at him.

"Kenshin Himura." he said, with a slightly curious tone.

"Right, Kenshin, it's time we got ourselves out of here, don't you think?" she said without expecting an answer. She walked around the walls of the cell and Kenshin watched her do it. Finally, she came to the door. She stood looking at it for a moment, rapped at it with her knuckles a couple of times. She pressed her ear against it but she couldn't hear anything so the tapped it again.

"Sounds pretty solid." she said to Kenshin behind her. "Do you know if they're any cameras in here?"

"Cameras?" he said, sounding puzzled.

"Yeah you know, surveillance."

"No, I don't think so." he replied.

"Okay, so right now that's our biggest advantage, that they don't know what we're doing in here." An idea was forming in her head, but she couldn't be sure it would work. "Do you know if there are guards outside?" she asked Kenshin.

"Yes, the shifts change every four hours." he answered, watching her closely.

"How do you know that?" she said, startled by how much he appeared to know about their cosy little dungeon cubicle.

"I hear them." he replied. _Hmm, must not be as thick as I thought_, thought Kaoru, referring to both Kenshin and the door. Of course this begged the question just how long had he been here, but Kaoru decided to let it slide. She would ask him once they were free.

"Do they ever open the door? For food or water?" Kenshin seemed unsure on how to answer, but after a pause he said,

"The first time was when they brought you in." Kaoru thought hard about this, turning everything she knew over in her head, trying to find a loop-hole, a weak link where they could slip through. But her thoughts were interrupted by Kenshin,

"I'm sorry you're in here." he said, looking melancholy and bowing his head.

"It's not your fault, don't worry about it." she replied, making him look up at her in surprise. Then he turned away again, looking even unhappier.

_If only I could get them to open the door…_ thought Kaoru in frustration. Supposedly, if there were guards outside, then they would come in if they thought she was in danger. She had to be there for a reason, didn't she? She could scream, but maybe that was too crude, they might see through it, and if they did then any other attempts would be useless. She could bang something heavy against the door, or the wall, and they would come to investigate, but she didn't have anything like that. The only other moveable thing in there was Kenshin's shackle, and that didn't look like it was going anywhere anytime soon. She could try knocking some stones out of the wall, make them think she was trying to dig a tunnel or something, but would they hear it?

"They won't come." Kenshin's firm but somehow melancholy voice rose out of the darkness, answering her thoughts as if he could hear them. Kaoru chose to ignore him.

She sighed, she wasn't going anywhere anyway. The door was too solid, the walls were too thick, and she was too weak. There wasn't anything she could do for now. She walked back to where her cellmate was sitting and flopped down next to him. She tried not to take the way he stiffened personally.

"I don't suppose you have any better ideas on how to get us out of here, do you?" she asked.

"The third and fourth stones to the left from the door are loose. If I knocked them out, the gap would be just big enough to allow you through." he said. Kaoru stared at him in amazement.

"Why are you only telling me this now?" she screamed as soon as she found her voice.

"Oro? I didn't know I was supposed to, that I did not." he replied, sounding worried. Kaoru's eyebrows went up. What was that? What the hell did 'Oro' mean? _This guy sure is strange,_ she thought to herself.

"Okay, so here's the plan. When they next change the guards, you push the stones out, and I'll crawl through, got it?" she said. Kenshin nodded dumbly. "So you listen up, okay? Now the next problem is, what do I do once I get out? How do I open the door?" she said.

"Oh, the door's not actually locked, you just can't open it from the inside, there's no handle." Kaoru felt like wringing his little, effeminate neck. What was with this guy? Well, at least it was going to be easy. Now all she had to do was wait.

"So, Kenshin,… er,… where are you from?" she asked, trying to make small talk that didn't sound horribly forced and uncomfortable. And failing.

"Japan." he answered vaguely. Silence filled the space between them. Kaoru began to get antsy. Megumi used to say that she couldn't bear silences because there wasn't much going on in her own head, but that wasn't it. Kaoru just didn't like them, she needed noise, life. She remembered when she used to play hide and seek as a child, she was never any good at it because she would always go looking for the other children after a few seconds of hiding. She was always afraid they'd forgotten about her, afraid that she'd wait for them for hours and they'd never come. So Kaoru had some abandonment issues, that's what you get when you lose your mother at six years old.

She cast her eyes around the room as she tried to think of something to talk about. They fell on Kenshin's shackle. She scooted round so that she was sitting in front of him.

"What are we going to do about this?" she said, reaching out to touch the metal ring. Suddenly, so fast that she didn't see him move, Kenshin's hand was around her wrist, gripping tightly.

"Don't touch it." he snapped. Kaoru stared at him in shock. The hand on her wrist was cold as ice, his grip just this side of painful. Was this the same not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-draw man as before? It was hard to believe, but as she watched whatever it was, the harshness in him, sinking back into the depths of his soul in his gold-flecked eyes, she couldn't doubt it. His grip loosened and he let go steadily, one finger at a time.

"Forgive me," he said slowly, "What I meant to say was my ankle is very sore, and I will take care of the chain myself." Kaoru withdrew her hands and, noticing that her mouth was open, shut it. No doubt there was more to it than just that he was afraid she would hurt him. But looking at his innocent face now it was almost as if none of it had ever happened, as if she had just imagined the death-grip on her arm and the frightening severity in his voice. Almost. The lingering shade of guilt in the way he covered his eyes with his hair told her that it was real, and that maybe there was a reason this man was chained up.

The silence was back, and this time Kaoru let it come. Once again she was faced with the question ' Who is this man?'. Could she even trust him? What if he turned on her as soon as they were back in the outside world? But Kaoru knew she could never leave him behind. He was a prisoner of the vampires just as she was, and the enemy of her enemy was her friend.

"What is your name?" he asked in a low voice. Kaoru steeled herself and sat up a little straighter. She would face him head on, Kaoru style.

"Kaoru Kamiya." she said, enunciating carefully while trying to look down her nose at him without actually looking down her nose at him, which she had never been very good at.

"Well, Kaoru-dono, our guards have just left their post. The time has come to exercise our little plan, that it has." he said. He moved his hands down to his ankle and wrapped them around the heavy shackle. Closing his eyes, we went very still, then, with a little jerk, the metal snapped and fell to the floor. He pulled himself very deliberately to his feet and walked over to the door-side of the cell, limping slightly as he went while Kaoru could only stare in open-mouthed amazement.

He laid his hands on one of the stones of the wall, and after a pause while he listened for movement outside, he pushed. The stone fell away with a loud grinding noise and hit the ground on the other side with an even louder crash. He repeated this with the second stone, then gestured hurriedly for Kaoru. She shook herself free of her astonishment and mounted the steps. She felt Kenshin's hands around her waist and she braced herself on either side of the gap, and slid through feet first. It wasn't graceful, but Kaoru didn't have time for grace, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Someone would've heard the noise and would be running to intercept them that very moment. She doubled back to the front of the mammoth door, wrapped her hands around the iron handle, and wrenched with all her might. The handle came up and the second it was free the door swung open, supposedly having been pushed violently by Kenshin from the other side.

Kaoru could already hear footsteps, and she turned to start running, but she stopped because Kenshin wasn't with her. He was still standing in the doorway of the cell looking faintly stricken.

"What are you waiting for, come on!" she cried, running back, grabbing his wrist and pulling him after her. She could see the guards now, they had rounded the corner at the end of the long corridor. They ran together away from the guards, but their pursuers were soon right on their heels. Kaoru was running as fast as she could, faster even. She was fitter than most thanks to her swordsmanship training, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. Suddenly she found her self yanked forcefully into a room off the corridor. Kenshin kicked the door closed and pushed her away from him in a second. Kaoru's head was swimming, but she took in the room around her. It was dark, and the walls were lined with guns, spears, weapons of all shapes and sizes, but predominantly swords. There were scores of them, sheathed and unsheathed, placed carelessly in racks, mounted tenderly on the wall, and just leaning patiently against it. Kaoru watched Kenshin grab a sword and its sheath that had been leaning against the wall. It didn't fit in with the others, somehow, it was a different colour maybe, it looked older. She had a second to wonder why Kenshin chose that particular one when the door burst open.

Seven or eight vampire guards, all wearing the same, black uniform, flooded the room. They paused when they saw the sword in Kenshin's hands. They all drew theirs and charged as one. Once again, Kenshin moved so fast Kaoru didn't see him do it, but at the end, Kenshin was sheathing his sword and the guards lay motionless on the ground. Kaoru stared in amazement, he wasn't even out of breath. She was suddenly glad he was on her side.

"We should be going now, Kaoru-dono." he said, breaking her out of a trance she hadn't known she was in. He held out his hand and Kaoru took it. Then they were running again. Except Kaoru's legs didn't want to work properly.

"May I carry you?" asked Kenshin, mid-run, and without waiting for a reply he scooped her up in his arms. Kaoru stiffened, her face pressed into his chest, she'd never been held like that before, and under normal conditions she would have freed herself and slapped him across the face, but they were now going at twice, three times the speed they had been going before, and Kaoru felt a little embarrassed. She was distracted however, when she noticed just how fast they were going. Kenshin was _ fast, _inhumanely soHe wasn't a big man, and carrying her should have slowed him down quite a bit, but the world around them was wizzing past at an incredible rate. Not only that, but Kaoru hardly felt a thing, he was keeping her steady and comfortable throughout.

Kenshin also appeared to know where they were going, turning here and taking those stairs, until they burst out into the night through some sort of emergency exit. Kenshin didn't put her down or stop running until they were a good way away from the compound. He stopped in one of the smaller streets that eventually led back to the city and put her down gently.

"You will be safe here." he said. Kaoru suddenly felt the need to say something, but what? 'Will I ever see you again?' sounded like something out of a cheap movie, and inviting him back to her place to introduce him to all her friends seemed too forward.

"Thank you." she said after a brief pause, wincing slightly as she realized how dumb she sounded.

"You're welcome. It's time for me to go now. Please go straight home, Kaoru-dono." he replied with a slight smile, though he was nearly invisible in the unlit alleyway. He turned to go, but Kaoru stopped him,

"Wait," she cried, "Will you be… okay?"

Another smile, "Don't worry about me, just make sure you get home safely." and with that he was gone. Kaoru wandered back to the main road and hailed a cab to take her home. The whole trip she just stared out the window at the rising sun, running over the night's events in her head and puzzling over the man who was Himura Kenshin, who had rescued her, and was the singularly strangest person she'd ever met. And the sad thing was that she would probably never see him again.

Okay, So there you go. Please review and all that. Also, does anyone want to be my beta on this? I'd send you new chapters and you'd tell me how they could be better. I'm not promising to listen to you all the time, I will keep some things the same, but it would help and be appreciated. You'd get a credit...

I've already written up to chapter 15, and I'll post a new one every two weeks.


	3. The Truth

Author's note: Hey guys! First off, thanks for reviewing all of you who did, and those of you who didn't, here's your chance to make it up to me. Second, I'm still LOOKING FOR A BETA, any applicants stand a very good chance at this point, c'mon... c'mon. And third, this chapter is up a couple of days early 'cause I'll be on holiday until the 16th.

Chapter 3

Kaoru slowly drifted awake, too drowsy to be aware of her surroundings, but she eventually realised someone was knocking on her door. Or rather, someone was _banging_ on her door, hard and incessantly, like some sort of jackhammer. Kaoru groaned as her eyes fell on the alarm-clock next to her bed as she rolled then fell off it. It was too late for this, or technically, too early for it. Tonight was her turn to sleep in, her shift didn't start for another four hours. Whoever it was had better have a really, _really_ good excuse.

She staggered, wino-style, to the door an put her eye to the spy-hole. She groaned._ Stupid, baka child, never should have taken him in in the first place…_ she thought incoherently as she pulled the door open, her eyes already closing again in protest of being denied their hard-earned rest.

"Hey Busu, Megumi wants you up in the infirmary." he said with his usual amount of manners. At least he wasn't a time-waster.

"What? Why?" said Kaoru just before yawning hugely. She felt awake enough then to be indignant and began telling Yahiko off for waking her. "I was asleep you know, _and_ my shift doesn't start for ages, it's my one night a week-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but there's this vamp just came in, pretty beat up, someone really did a number on him." Yahiko interrupted.

"So?" asked Kaoru, leaning against the door and closing her eyes.

"Well, he's been asking for you for the past fifteen minutes." he replied. That was odd. Kaoru couldn't think of any reason for a vampire to be asking for her, it's not like she knew any personally. Truly perplexed, she told Yahiko to wait while she changed, and ten minutes later they were on their way to the infirmary.

The Dojo, the building Kaoru, Megumi, and others all lived in, was a complex building filled with a labyrinth of corridors and elevators. It was built like an iceberg, with a lot of it underground, and only a few innocent stories showing above. Kaoru had grown up there however, so she had no trouble finding her way around. She knew it better than anyone, and she was soon standing outside the chrome swing-doors of the compound's infirmary. She could see Megumi attending to a patient but she couldn't see past her to see who it was. She pushed one of the doors open and walked in.

"Ah, Kaoru, there you are." said Megumi, turning to greet her and revealing the person sitting on the medical bench. Kaoru stopped dead, an expression of shock on her face. The red hair, the scar, the old-fashioned clothes. She knew this man.

"Kenshin" she said at last.

"Hello again, Kaoru-dono." he replied meekly.

"Oh, so you _do_ know each other. Ken-san has been quite insistent about seeing you. What I wonder is how he knew you were here, ohoho." said Megumi, laughing and looking suggestively between the two. But Kaoru was too busy staring at Kenshin to reply. Yahiko was right, someone had really laid into him. He had a swollen black-eye, his sleeve was torn, she could see his hands were all cut up, what had happened to him since last night? And why would he come here? How did he know where she lived? But Yahiko had said that it was a _vampire_ in the infirmary… Kaoru looked closer at Kenshin. Under the glaring light of the infirmary, she could see his frighteningly pale skin, his glassy nails, the slightest raise in his lower lip where fangs projected over his bottom teeth, and she knew.

"You're a vampire." she said quietly, feeling the ground pitch beneath her feet. How could she have missed something like that? It was her job to know a supernatural being when she saw one, and okay, it had been dark in that basement, but nowhere is _that_ dark.

"You didn't know." said Kenshin. For one fleeting moment, so brief it was subliminal, Kaoru thought she saw Kenshin look… devastated, but then it was gone and his expression was impossible to read. Head tilted slightly forward so that his long hair masked his eyes, he slid off the bench, his sword in hand.

"I should go. It was a mistake to come here." he said. He began to walk past them, but as he passed Kaoru, she noticed he was limping ever so slightly. For a vampire to limp at all, he would have to be seriously hurt. Drops of blood led back to the bench, fallen from some unseen source. Vampires shouldn't bleed like that either.

"Wait." she said, turning to catch Kenshin's wrist, "You're hurt. You need medical attention." Kenshin stopped and looked at her. The minute she saw his eyes she was struck dumb by how violet and totally beautiful they were. They were captivating.

"But I am a vampire, you don't want to ask me to stay." he said. Kaoru suddenly felt as if he was speaking only for her, as if they were completely alone. What she had thought he looked like last night was wrong, so wrong. His hair wasn't a plain reddish-brown, it was a magnificent scarlet that shone like spun rubies. His eyes weren't a purple-blue cross, they were solid amethyst. And his skin wasn't pale, it was as white as alabaster and as smooth as marble. She had been right about one thing though, he did have a couple of inches on her, making him just the right height to look down into her eyes and make her feel as if she meant the world to him.

"Hey man, I knew what you were when I dragged you in here, but I still did it." said Yahiko from the corner, continuing his usual degree of eloquence and refinement, and shattering Kaoru's trance, making her look at him, only just remembering he was there. She really needed to keep him away from Sano more.

"I think what Yahiko is trying to say is that that's what we do here. This is the Dojo, haven to the supernatural, and we consider it our duty to help you. Besides, you helped me escape from that cell." said Kaoru, once she'd recovered.

"What? What cell?" said Megumi, suddenly interested.

"I was the one who needed you, Miss Kaoru, only you could have fit through the gap in the wall." replied Kenshin.

"What gap? What wall?!" cried Megumi. She was starting to get frustrated, she hated it when people knew something she didn't, almost as much as she hated being ignored.

"Oh that's right, I didn't have a chance to tell you last night. I was kidnapped by vampires and locked in a cell with Kenshin but he knocked out some loose stones and we got away." Kaoru said quickly and without much interest. Somehow all that seemed unimportant. She turned back to the vampire in front of her,

"It was nothing, Kenshin, besides, do you really expect me to let you walk out of here when you're in the state that you're in? At least stay until we know you won't get hurt again, please?"

Kenshin looked down at the small human girl in front of him. What was she thinking? Asking someone like him to stay with her. It was unheard of. He found himself staring into her sparkling sapphire eyes, open and honest, filled with life, and he had to tear his gaze away before he sunk to far. Kenshin couldn't believe those eyes were capable of deception, but if there was no malicious motive behind her insistency, why wouldn't she let him go? Unless she meant what she said, unless she really was worried about him and genuinely wanted to keep him safe. It was a risk Kenshin found himself willing to take. After almost a hundred years of wandering, it couldn't hurt to stay a night or two in this interesting place with an intriguing woman. Slowly, Kenshin began to walk back to the medical bench and the confused-looking doctor, who roused herself and resumed checking him over, cleaning off blood as she found it.

"Good. I'm going to go have a shower, and brush my teeth, but I'll be back soon to check on you, okay Kenshin?" said Kaoru, heading for the door after a nod and a dazed smile from Megumi's patient.

Back in her room, Kaoru thought about the man who was both her saviour and her enemy. She felt no hostility towards him, even a curious affection, but everyone in the Dojo had a beef with vampires. They had disgraced and massacred Sano's pack, the Sekihoutai, after the bloody Bakumatsu a century ago, he probably hated them the most. Megumi was separated from her family when a rogue vampire gang attacked her village. Tae and Tsubame, who ran the Akabeko, which acted as a kind of watchtower for the Dojo, had both lost someone close to them to vampires, Tsubame her mother and Tae her husband. The witch, Tokio, she just came from a family of vampire-haters. Even Kaoru's adopted little brother, Yahiko, had been orphaned by vampires, and still maintained that he would find the one who did it and avenge his parents. As for Kaoru herself, she seemed to be the only one who didn't have a broken past with some dark reason to hate vampires, even though it was her great-grandfather who had started the Dojo to keep humanity safe and separate from the supernatural threat..

But they weren't prejudiced. They had a duty to help and protect anyone who asked for it, whether they were vampire, werewolf, or human. And they'd seen enough of all of them to know that it wasn't only the vampires that they had to be wary of. And this Kenshin seemed different somehow. His vampirism was understated, subtle. He didn't seem to consider himself superior. He hadn't even tried to mesmerise her when they were together in the cell, and he must have been hungry. She wouldn't admit to herself that he had just mesmerised her minutes before, if unintentionally.

With a jolt, Kaoru realised the truth of how close she'd come to being lunch. She had only been captured to be food for Kenshin. She was only alive now because he had chosen it. Kaoru quickly finished her shower, threw on some clothes and rushed out of her apartment, heading to the infirmary. She burst in just as Megumi was finishing bandaging Kenshin's wounds. His chest and one of his arms was completely obscured by the white strips.

"I was just food for you, wasn't I? That's why I wasn't chained up like you were; they didn't think I'd live long enough to escape. " she asked loudly, making them both look up at her. Megumi looked between them as Kenshin looked up at Kaoru,

"Yes." he said, with a shame-tinged earnesty that startled Kaoru. She had been all prepared for an argument, and his acknowledgement only confused her. Then he looked away, and began sliding his gi back into place. Silence filled the space between them, heavy with questions. Megumi excused herself in a surprising act of consideration, and then they were alone.

"Then why… Why didn't you…" began Kaoru, trying to find words that would make it less distasteful. She had to know, she only hoped she wanted to.

"Why didn't I feed from you?" finished Kenshin, Kaoru nodded. "Because the idea of feeding from someone so innocent, someone captured, their fate already sealed without them even knowing it, disgusts me." he replied, curling his lip slightly in revulsion at the thought of it. "You had done nothing to warrant me sating my hunger on your life. It was my fault I was in that cell, not yours. I didn't deserve it."

Kaoru was made even more surprised by his poetic, somewhat self-deprecating reply.

"But weren't you hungry?" she continued timidly. Now he turned his smouldering violet gaze to her, and once again Kaoru was staggered by it.

"I am not a slave to my hunger, Kaoru-dono, it is important to me that you know that." he said, his voice striking a cord deep inside her like music. Then he smiled, and the spell was broken. "It was easier for me to wait, than it would have been to feed from you. My conscience would not have allowed it." He wore a mask of content once again, and Kaoru was back to feeling herself, and a little embarrassed. Then something occurred to her,

"Is that why you wouldn't let me help you with your shackle? Because if I touched you it would have been harder for you to resist?"

Kenshin nodded, "And yet I touched your wrist. Forgive me if I hurt you." In truth Kaoru had totally forgotten about that moment when Kenshin had suddenly become feral and threatening. She realized now that must have been his vampirism baring it's fangs, so to speak. There was a slight pause as Kaoru let these revelations sink in.

"Are you hungry now?" she asked, not knowing what she could do if he was.

"No." he replied. Period. Kaoru wished she hadn't asked, It meant he'd drank a person's blood recently. She tried not to cringe visibly. Kenshin stood up, drawing her attention. He tugged at his cuffs patiently.

"Er, why don't I show you around?" she said, gesturing at the door.

"I'd like that." he replied with another shy smile.

Kaoru led Kenshin around the complex. The upper floors had the more customary rooms like the TV-room and the gym. She wasn't quite sure what to say when they got to the kitchen, but ironically Kenshin turned out to be a very good cook (irritatingly enough to Kaoru, who'd been banned from the kitchen since she was thirteen). The lower floors however, told a different story. There were windowless cells for the sunlight-sensitive criminals, silver chains for the furry-inclined, armouries filled with weapons ranging from kodachis to AK-47's, and experimental greenhouses for the resident witch. Speaking of, Kaoru had to pay her a visit.

Tokio's room was apart from all the others. After knocking a couple of times, Kaoru tentatively opened the door. It wasn't that she didn't like Tokio, it was just she knew she was very much a lone wolf, and didn't like being disturbed. Sticking her head in, Kaoru looked around for her neighbour, but the room appeared dark and uninviting, empty.

"What do you want, Kaoru?" said a strong female voice from the darkness. Tokio emerged into the light shining from the corridor. Kenshin saw she was a tall woman with pale skin, black hair and very interesting eyes. They were the colour of redwood trees, and glinted like garnets when turned towards the light. A large raven fluttered down from somewhere and perched on her outstretched arm.

"I just wanted to thank you. I assume it was Aku, Soku and Zan in the street last night?" said Kaoru, hiding her nervousness. The woman murmured with pride to the bird sitting on her shoulder, and stroked it affectionately.

"Yes." she said, looking back at Kaoru, "I saw what was going to happen while scrying and thought I'd better warn you. But everything turned out alright in the end, didn't it?" she stated rather than asked, looking towards Kenshin knowingly.

"Did you see anything about who kidnapped us?" asked Kaoru.

"It was a vampire, an old one, with big plans. Easily recognisable, but that's about it." said Tokio, her voice back to a cold indifference. "Now if you'll excuse me, my ravens need feeding."

Kaoru and Kenshin dutifully left, Kaoru feeling glad to be out in all honesty. They were walking through the intricate corridors of the Dojo, Kaoru thinking about what their next step would be concerning this Makoto Shishio, Kenshin silent and completely unreadable. Eventually they found themselves outside Kaoru's room, her feet having led her there out of habit. She unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

"This is my room." she said. She was starting to feel tired, that usually meant the night was coming to an end. She sometimes felt just as nocturnal as any of her "clients". She was on her way to her bedroom to get rid of her shoes and coat, when she heard Kenshin say a quiet, almost embarrassed "Kaoru-dono?"

She turned around to look at him, and she was surprised to see him still standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Kenshin?" she asked, looking at him quizically. He had masked his face again, eyes hidden by that scarlet hair and his face as emotionless as stone.

"You have to invite me in, Miss Kaoru." he said. "I can't cross the threshold if you do not." There was something in his voice, some element of control or assumed innocence that hinted of a terrible pain within him, and how hard it had been for him to ask her that.

"Oh, well come in, of course!" she said hurriedly.

"Thank you." he replied, stepping inside. For a moment everything went quiet. Kaoru was watching Kenshin, and Kenshin knew he was being watched, but not doing anything or letting any emotion show.

"I'm going to go change." said Kaoru eventually, pointing with her thumb to her room over her shoulder. When she came back out, pyjamas on, (Did it mean anything that she had spent five minutes trying to decide on what pyjamas to wear? Kaoru didn't think so) Kenshin hadn't moved.

"Dawn is approaching. If I am to stay here I will need somewhere to spend the days." he said, still completely unreadable. Kaoru mentally cursed herself a blue streak. She hadn't even thought about that. How could she have been so stupid? She was going to have to say something soon, or her pause would become an awkward silence. But the only sun-proof place she could think of were the cells, and there was absolutely no way she was putting Kenshin in one of those. He was her guest, he expected her to have thought this through, and she had made such a show about asking him to stay.

"Er, you can have my room. I blocked up the windows because I sleep during the day since I work all night. You'll be okay in there." she said, making the sacrifice.

"Thank you. Is there a lock on the door?" he asked.

"A lock? No, I've never really felt the need for one…" replied Kaoru, puzzled.

"Then I must regretfully ask you not to come in while I am… asleep, Kaoru-dono. A sleeping vampire is not the same as a sleeping human, and my last wish is to cause you alarm." he said.

"Er, okay, Kenshin, I won't." said Kaoru.

"Thank you. Goodnight, Kaoru-dono." he said kindly, showing emotion for the first time in a while.

Still slightly perplexed Kaoru went to the bathroom and finished getting ready for bed. She would take the couch. But just as she was laying out the blankets and pillows, she realized she hadn't brushed her hair, and that her brush was in her- Kenshin's room. Sure she could leave it, but her hair would be impossible the next morning, and she'd look a real sight. She glanced towards her window. The curtains were already beginning to lighten with the rising sun. Kenshin would be asleep by now, he'd never know if she went and got her brush. As long as she didn't let whatever she saw bother her, and never treated Kenshin any differently for it, then it wouldn't hurt, right?

She tip-toed over to the door and silently pushed it open. She inched inside, making absolutely positive that Kenshin wasn't awake, though she couldn't see him yet. Finally, her calves began to hurt and she had to stop sneaking around. Bracing herself she walked in, greeted by nothing but silence. Without looking at the bed, she walked over to her dresser, got her brush, and turned to leave.

Unfortunately, this put her directly facing the bed. And she then understood what Kenshin had meant when he said sleeping vampires aren't like sleeping humans. There he was, lying perfectly still on his back. He didn't have his arms crossed over his chest like vampires in films, and he wasn't a rotting corpse either, but he still looked different. Instead of the calm, innocent repose of sleep, his face was the picture of the unforgiving ravages of death. He still looked like Kenshin, but his skin was so pale it was almost transparent, mapped with thin blue veins. His cheeks were sunken and his lips had thinned, baring his delicate fangs in a faint snarl. His vivid red hair looked limp and, well, deadened as it framed his face, a dirty brown colour in the dark. No-one could ever mistake him for a living thing.

Kaoru realized she was staring and she felt a stab of guilt and pity as she quickly left the room. She wasn't horrified by Kenshin's appearance, it didn't scare her, it just made her sad. She knew Kenshin the person, and he'd wanted her to keep it that way. She understood why now.


	4. The Past

**Author's note:** Sorry, everyone, that this is late, I was on a school trip to Italy and I meant to update the day before I left but I was so busy and I just... forgot. Anyway, the next update will be on schedule in a week's time. Also, I've had an application for the beta job! I've emailed them, but they haven't emailed me back yet, so if you're reading this **epitome of melodramatics**, check your mail!

Chapter 4

Kaoru was up before Kenshin. She was just tying her shoelaces when she heard an angry pounding at her door. Puzzled, she went and answered it. It was Sano. The second the door was open he stuck his head inside and looked around angrily.

"Sano, what are you -" she began, having to crane her neck upwards to see him properly, but he grabbed her roughly and dragged her outside into the corridor, pulling the door to behind them.

"Is it true?" he asked her. Kaoru was concerned by his hurt and angry expression.

"Is what true?" she asked as inoffensively as she could.

"Is it true you have a vampire in there?" he said. Kaoru sighed, she should have seen this coming. Sano hated all vampires on principal.

"Yes, Sano, it's true." For a moment, he seemed too furious for words. He just let go of her arm, and looked away from her, breathing deeply. Then he looked back at her,

"Haven't I taught you anything, Kaoru?" He only ever called her by her name if he was really angry, so Kaoru let the superior tone slide. "You can't trust them!" he emphasised.

"He's not like that," Kaoru said, making the man in front of her look at the ceiling in exasperation. It was as if he were a father, trying to make his love-struck daughter see that her new boyfriend was no good. "His name's Kenshin, and he-"

"I don't give a damn what his name is!" Sano's harsh words stopped Kaoru mid-sentence. "Just get him out of here. It's a miracle you're still alright."

"Sano," she began steadily. "I know Kenshin's a vampire, and I know what vampires have done to you," Sano frowned at her. "But Kenshin is going to be staying with me for a couple of days and there's nothing you can say to change that."

Sano lowered his face to hers, to look her straight in the eye. When he saw her mind was made up, his eyes narrowed.

"Fine! Do what you want, it's not like I can stop you. Just don't come crying to me when he wakes up with the munchies." With that he turned on his heel and stalked off, pausing briefly to punch a healthy dent in an unsuspecting steel door.

Kaoru watched him go. Like hell was she going to make Kenshin leave. You couldn't blame Sano for hating vampires, after what they'd done to him. The Bakumatsu was a war that took place roughly a hundred years ago, between werewolves and vampires to decide who would have control of the underworld. The werewolves were in charge originally, by sheer force of numbers, but the vampires revolted. Sano's pack, the Sekihoutai, were a band of infected werewolves. Infected werewolves, people who had been bitten, were treated as outcasts by the rest of the werewolf community, those who had inherited the condition. But the vampires had promised the Sekihoutai equal rights in exchange for their services during the revolution, which they duly gave, only to be massacred afterwards.

Sano had only just been bitten by then, a poor orphan boy previously living on the streets, who'd thought he'd finally found a home with the Sekihoutai, only to have them brutally murdered in front of him. After that he'd made a living as a fighter-for-hire, using his supernatural strength to his advantage. Even as a human Sano had been unnaturally strong, and now as a werewolf he was near unstoppable, with the stamina to match. As far as Kaoru knew, Sano was the only survivor of the Sekihoutai, along with a man named Katsu. Katsu was one of Sano's contacts in one of Tokyo's resident packs, having earned their acceptance the hard way.

Kaoru waited till Sano was out of sight before re-entering her appartement. She'd got as far as the couch before a voice to her right startled her.

"Do you wish me to leave?" It was Kenshin. He had been standing so still that she hadn't even seen him.

"No, of course not, don't listen to Sano, he's just doesn't trust people very easily, that's all." Kaoru answered. Kenshin had actually heard their whole conversation, and thought Sano was right not to trust him. He was a vampire after all, a creature that could only survive on the life of others. But if Kaoru wanted him to stay, he wouldn't press the matter. He would leave in a few days.

"I have to work tonight." said Kaoru apologetically, interrupting his thoughts. "But you're welcome to come too…" Kenshin wouldn't allow himself to believe that the look in her eyes was hope.

"What is it that you do, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked with his customary innocent lilt in his voice. Kaoru rolled her eyes and launched into an animated monologue about how hard she had to work and never got any thanks for it. It was an unexpectedly joyful experience, watching Kaoru recite this comfortable and spirited debate, it made him smile. For a moment he felt like the days of prowling dark, stinking alleys looking for someone wretched enough not to mind being his victim of the night - whether they were suicidal or just drunk - were over. The days of guilt and never allowing himself to be seen seemed a story he had heard with someone else as the protagonist, not him. And could he be blamed for wanting to bask in it one second longer?

"So basically, The Dojo is this secret, government-funded organisation that monitors the supernatural activity in Tokyo, since there were all those civilian casualties during the Bakumatsu, and it's my job to make sure everything's running smoothly." Kaoru finished.

"And from what I've seen in my short stay here, you do it very well, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin said, making Kaoru blush sweetly with his compliment. He found himself wanting to compliment her some more, to see what she would do. To whisper dark praise in her ear as she coyly tried to push him away and preserve her honour. To thread her faltering will with his unnatural charms, until she surrendered herself to him, desperately ready to give him anything he asked for, when it would be too late to stop him from taking it.

Kenshin started from his fantasy's undertow, both appalled and terrified by it. The idea of taking advantage of the angel in whose den he rested nauseated him, and yet he could almost taste her skin beneath his lips, feel her pulse in his veins. He knew immediately it was no longer safe for him to stay there, he had to leave before the demon in him surfaced and it was too late. Healing his injuries must have taken a heavier toll on him that he'd thought.

He had just raised his head, having secured his rurouni mask, to thank her for her kindness and take his leave, when he realised she was standing by the door, holding it open for him. He moved towards her but as soon as he got close enough to talk to her, she was off again, marching purposefully down the corridor.

"Honestly Kenshin, you're off in a world of your own." she tossed at him over her shoulder as he shuffled hurriedly after her. He caught up with her as she reached the front hall and began pulling on her coat and scarf.

"Kaoru-dono, thank you for your kindness to me, bu-"

"You're welcome Kenshin, now come on, I don't want to be late, Tae said the Oniwabashuu are wanting to talk to me."

"I thi- The Oniwabanshuu?" Kenshin was caught off-guard. He hadn't seen or heard anything about the vampiric group of ninjas in a hundred years. He realised it was stupid of him to assume they'd dispersed just because he, who had spent the century cutting himself off from the world, hadn't heard anything of them.

He couldn't pass up this opportunity to meet the infamous warriors who hadn't actually fought in the Bakumatsu. He knew he shouldn't let it, but his curiosity got the better of him and he put off trying to tell Kaoru he was leaving.

However, they never reached the door, because Megumi came rushing towards them with a worried scowl on her face and a malevolent glint in her eye.

"Kaoru! Where are you off to?" she called,

"The Akabeko, I have a meeting with-"

"That can wait, I have something I want to show you." Kenshin didn't like the way she had glanced at him.

"But the Oniw-"

"Trust me, you're going to want to see this." she said ominously, taking Kaoru's hand and pulling her along, with Kenshin following dutifully behind.

It turned out that Megumi's big surprise was in the library, a room that was an awkward combination of high-tech computers and ancient books piled on high, oak bookcases. Kenshin's feeling of dread only grew until he closed his eyes with a sigh, having seen what was resting on one of the tables.

It was a thick, old book that had been left open at a page with an illustration on one side and writing on the other. Sano was standing in a shadowed corner, arms folded and eyes watchful. Yahiko was sitting opposite the book. Megumi gestured at the book, her eyes never leaving Kenshin.

Kaoru walked warily over to the book, and Kenshin waited for the hammer to fall. It was his picture on that page, with the heading "Hitokiri Battousai" scrawled across the top. He watched as Kaoru's brow furrowed as she slowly ran her fingers over the picture. When she looked back up at him there was doubt and confusion in her eyes, tinged with fear. No-one spoke, until Megumi couldn't restrain herself any longer.

"Kenshin is Hitokiri Battousai!" she exclaimed.

"Hitokiri Battousai? The vampire who was so fast he came and went like lightning, and not even other vampires could see him until it was too late?" said Sano not bothering to hide his scepticism, eyeing Kenshin. Megumi nodded.

"The vampire who killed so many men that his hair turned red with their blood?" said Yahiko, staring in disbelief.

"Yes!" said Megumi, pointing at Kenshin in exasperation. He said nothing.

"Hold on, Battousai had eyes like hellfire, Kenshin's are violet." said Kaoru.

"But look at the picture! It's him! If you don't believe me, why don't you ask him?"

Kenshin felt trapped as everyone suddenly turned their attention to him.

"Kenshin? Is it true?" she asked. Kenshin looked at her. She was bound to find out sooner or later, and had he not been prepared to leave just minutes ago? He had just hoped that he might have been able to leave her thinking well of him, and not fearing him.

"Yes, Kaoru-dono, it's true. I was the Hitokiri Battousai." Sano pushed himself off the wall.

"I think it's time you left, and don't come back." His voice was steady, his face stony, and he hoped no-one could tell that he was keeping his arms crossed to stop himself from attacking the man in front of him, and that the beast inside was growling in his head, wanting to destroy the Ishin-Shishi bastard.

Kenshin gave a small bow and left the room. Kaoru's head was still spinning. Could it be that she'd been housing the most infamous vampire in history? Every man, woman and child knew stories about Hitokiri Battousai, even if they didn't know just how true they were. Battousai had been unparalleled in his cruelty and blood-thirst. He was the vampire even vampires feared. All the same, he'd never been master of a clan, he had always worked alone, doing what he wanted to do. If you had the money, the power and the nerve, you could hire him, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't kill you after he got what he wanted. Supposedly he was a hitokiri from the original Bakumatsu 200-odd years ago, fighting again in the Bakumatsu of vampire vs werewolf, after which he disappeared. Could it be that he was the same vampire that had been sleeping in Kaoru's bed yesterday? With his "Kaoru-dono"s and old-fashioned manners? Kaoru found it hard to believe but he'd said it himself.

"_I was the Hitokiri Battousai"_

But for some reason, Kaoru just didn't feel right about letting him just walk away. He was in danger, there was still Makoto Shishio to think about. Kaoru stood up.

"Going to the Akabeko then, Kaoru?" asked Megumi absent-mindedly, not looking at her. Kaoru didn't answer, she just left the room and started running.

Trusting his own sense of direction, Kenshin managed to find the way out of The Dojo without getting lost, but it wasn't long before he heard the pounding of running feet behind him. He turned around just in time to catch Kaoru as she ran into him.

"Kenshin! You can't go." she said in-between breaths. He hadn't been expecting this and he had to push down a feeling of triumph that wasn't his own.

"But Kaoru-dono, I cannot stay." he said with a careful smile.

"Why not? I want you to."

"What about your friends?"

"They'll get over it." That made Kenshin smile.

"But I'm Hitokiri Battousai."

"You said you _were_ Battousai, past-tense." she said pointedly.

"Well, yes but-"

"Besides Shishio might still be after you."

"I will deal with him by myself." Suddenly, Kaoru had an idea.

"What about me? Shishio might be after me too! I helped you escape, remember?" Kaoru was pleased to see Kenshin begin to look worried, her plan was working. "If you stay, you can be my bodyguard!"

"Bodyguard?"

"To protect me; come on Kenshin!" She pulled on his sleeve.

"I don't know, Kaoru-dono…"

"Well stay with me tonight at least, please?" She didn't know exactly why she was so reluctant to let him go, but she decided to just go with it, it didn't mean anything, surely?

Kenshin looked down at her big, pleading, azure eyes, and his unbeating heart gave a little pang, and in that moment he would have given her his very life had she only asked.

"Alright, but if I am to stay, I need you to understand that the part of me that is Battousai is also the part that makes me a vampire. I can control it, but it will always be there, which means I will never be safe for you. I'm not human, Kaoru-dono, I must ask you not to forget that."

"I won't forget, but I'm not going to treat you any differently for it. You're still Kenshin, and that's the man I'm asking to stay."

Kenshin could see that her mind was made up and didn't pursue the matter. He just hoped she _would_ live to regret it.

Minutes later, Kaoru and Kenshin were walking along the paved streets of Tokyo, so different from Kenshin's never-fading memories. Kaoru pulled her coat tighter against the slicing wind. Kenshin could feel the cold, but it wasn't unpleasant exactly, it just made his body temperature cold. His joints were perhaps a bit stiff and his mind was becoming faintly clouded but it was nothing dangerous, and he wasn't even aware of it if he didn't think about it. The winter night was a dark blanket dotted with neon signs and headlights. Kaoru's eyes were wide in a sub-conscious attempt to take in as much light as possible, but to Kenshin, this was just what the world looked like, and his vampire eyes could see perfectly.

The Akabeko was the kind of place that you could walk past every day of your life and never notice. A small, out-of-the-way diner with a painted sign and modestly-dressed waitresses. Kaoru pushed the door open, making the little bell jingle. Tae looked up from the counter.

"Hi Kaoru, they're waiting for you in the back." She saw Kenshin but didn't ask.

"Thanks, Tae."

The two walked along the bays of tables and booths to a door near the counter that had "Employees Only" written on it. Okay, it wouldn't stop anyone even half-committed to getting inside, but it kept out the innocent bystanders. Inside was a lot more official-looking, and not so dazzlingly lit, for the more light-sensitive guests. There was a long table that looked like it could have been used for a poker game just as much as for a supernatural summit. A tall man with black hair and ice-blue eyes wearing a long white coat was sitting there, casually surrounded by a small entourage. That was all Kaoru and Kenshin saw before a squealing, energetic force hit Kaoru and seized her around the neck.

"Kaoru-chan! It's good to see you again!" said the young girl.

"Hello Misao." Kaoru replied, trying to subtly free her airways from the girl's grip.

"It's been too long." Misao continued, letting go of Kaoru.

"Yes it has. How old are you now?" said Kaoru, giving her a real smile.

"Eighteen and a half" The girl said proudly.

"Oh," Kaoru said knowingly, "That means you'll soon be-"

"Misao." The man sitting at the table's deep, steady voice effectively put an end to the conversation, and Misao looked at her leader, slightly startled. "I didn't leave Kyoto to chat. We have serious business here." His attitude surprised Kaoru, she'd never known the okashira to mind his ward's energetic ways before. But it wasn't Kaoru's place to ask.

"To business then, Aoshi-sama." Kaoru sat down opposite the leader of the Oniwabanshuu. "What brings you to Tokyo?"


	5. The Threat

Chapter 5

"What brings you to Tokyo?" said Kaoru, both curious and business-like.

"I was not aware there was to be a third party involved, least of all Hitokiri Battousai." Aoshi said in his stoic voice, his face giving nothing away. Kaoru followed his eyes to the wall where Kenshin was standing.

"Kenshin's a friend who's staying with me for the moment. He poses no threat to the confidentiality of anything said here."

"Indeed." replied the okashira, not showing any surprise at hearing Kenshin was Kaoru's house-guest.. But he seemed willing to overlook his presence, because after one last look at Kenshin, he turned his eyes back to Kaoru.

"The reason I am here is to ask for your hospitality while we are in Tokyo. We believe that a very dangerous vampire by the name of Makoto Shishio has settled in the city and we are here to destroy him."

"Makoto Shishio? We have also been having trouble with him. He works fast." Kaoru observed. Kenshin was watching her, amazed at how she had changed. She was now a leader, someone to be respected, someone who took charge, someone who had the answers or knew where to get them. He was impressed.

"It certainly appears so. Shishio is a mad-man. In Kyoto alone, he and his men, the Jupongatana, are responsible for hundreds of deaths, human, wolf and vampire alike. What little information we have been able to gather about him indicates that he is as ambitious as he is ruthless. I fear he is planning something much bigger than a simple power-ploy among vampires."

"Well needless to say you have The Dojo's complete co-operation. We only ask that you share your findings with us, and perhaps warn us in advance if you decide to litter our streets with corpses." Kaoru finished with a smile. She was truly in her element, acting as a representative of her people.

"We have no problem with that."

"Good, then unless you have something more to discuss…?" Kaoru asked, beginning to stand up.

"No, that is all." answered the okashira, also rising from his chair and heading towards the door, surrounded by his entourage, none of which had said a word, but Kaoru knew them all from past alliances.

The moment Kaoru left the room, Tae came rushing up to her, looking worried.

"Miss Kaoru, there's a policeman here to see you." she said, glancing at the door where a man was standing, smoking a long cigarette held between two white-gloved fingers. He was wearing a police uniform with the jacket open to reveal a black t-shirt, and his head was bent, hiding his face. His slicked-back hair was a curious black that glinted almost purple where the light hit it. He also carried a katana tied to his waist. Kaoru recognised him instantly. So did Kenshin.

"It's alright Tae, thank you." she said and walked over to him, Kenshin following close behind after a moment's hesitation. He raised his eyes to her, and once again Kaoru was startled by them. Narrow and gold, they were the most evil-looking eyes she'd ever seen, but she knew the man himself wasn't evil exactly, just had some questionable methods.

"Good evening Saitoh, it's been a while." she said. Saitoh Hajime was another of the Dojo's informants. His position with the police made him quite useful, but sometimes Kaoru got the feeling he used her just as much as she used him. Saitoh was notorious as a lone wolf, literally and figuratively. Many packs wanted him to join their ranks, but he always gave the same answer, that he was already part of the Shinsen-gumi. It didn't matter to him that he might well be the last remaining member. She knew he was a very old werewolf, over a hundred years old at least, as he still held on to the Shinsen-gumi principals of "Aku soku zan", but he could easily have been older.

"Yes it has, but I would have dropped by sooner had I known you housed the Battousai." something in his voice made Kaoru wary of him.

"Kenshin's only been with us for a couple of days." replied Kaoru. She didn't like how still Saitoh was, unmoving. Behind her, Kenshin had casually rested his hand on the hilt of his sakabatou.

"Oh, well you should have said. Himura and I go way back. In fact, we have something of a score to settle." He tossed his cigarette onto the tiled floor, extinguished it with his foot, then stood up straight.

"Is that so? Well, you're not going to settle it here. The Akabeko is supposed to be a safe haven - "

"So don't put your cigarettes out on the floor!" called Tae from behind the counter across the room, earning herself a frozen look from Saitoh, and she quickly returned to her work.

"Either way it's not a battle ground. I won't allow it." Kaoru finished.

"I'm afraid that doesn't matter very much to me."

"You haven't changed a bit, Saitoh." said Kenshin "You're just as ruthless as you always were."

"The same can't be said about you, or so I hear." he replied.

"Anyway, I assume you came here for a reason, and not just to catch up on old times." said Kaoru, trying to distract the wolf from attacking Kenshin and tearing up the diner. Saitoh pinned her under his golden stare but she wasn't a woman that allowed herself to be muscled around and she didn't falter, and eventually he turned back to face her.

"Yes, I was wondering if you knew anything about a vampire named Makoto Shishio."

"Well, this certainly is the night for it. I've just met with the Oniwabanshuu from Kyoto to discuss the very same vampire."

"Is that so? How unexpected. Well, my interest with him is strictly business. Some wolves have gone missing and the alphas seem to think he's behind it. They've asked me to take care of it."

"Nothing with you is strictly business Saitoh, you only work for yourself and you know it."

"Well if the stories are true then this Shishio may prove to be a bigger threat than I can tolerate and must be eliminated."

"Of course. I see no reason why our three parties can't work together. Shishio must be quite dangerous to warrant all this."

"Be that as it may, I'm sure he's nothing I can't handle. Now I know you keep a witch on staff and the alphas have given me some personal items of the missing wolves which I was hoping the witch could use to track them."

"Of course, I'll just call her and-" Kaoru had moved to the counter where the phone was but at that moment the little bell over the door rang and Tokio walked in.

"Tokio! We were just talking about you." said Kaoru.

"I know." replied the witch, who then walked straight up to Saitoh and gave a little bow. "I am Tokio Takagi, the witch you wanted to see."

Saitoh inclined his head to her as answer to her bow.

"Saitoh Hajime. You must be very good." he said.

"I am." she answered, looking him dead in the eye.

"Then let us begin." said Saitoh, meeting her gaze. Tokio led him away to a room at the back, leaving Kaoru in her wake, shaking her head.

Saitoh stayed by the door as Tokio got set up, watching the woman in front of him. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful, but he never let that influence him. She had said her name was Takagi, the same name as a leading member of the Shinsen-gumi. Could it be she was a descendent of his pack? She wasn't a wolf, he would have smelt it on her. When he thought about it, he had heard long ago of one of the alphas taking a witch as a mate, had it been Takagi?

"You don't have to stare at me, wolf, you can just ask." she said suddenly, looking at him and smiling slightly.

"Been reading my thoughts, witch?"

"No, that's not a power I possess, but you haven't taken your eyes off me and you don't seem the leching type." Saitoh found himself smiling at her direct manner.

"I was wondering if your name comes from the Takagi of the Shinsen-gumi."

"It does, he was my grandfather. And are you the same Saitoh Hajime as the infamous Wolf of Mibu?"

"I am." Saitoh felt suspicious and honoured at the same time.

"In that case it's a pleasure and an honour to meet you. I was raised on stories of your accomplishments." she said. These revelations made Saitoh feel a bit odd, he hadn't met anyone with a link to the Shinsen-gumi in thirty years, especially not a beautiful and confident woman who was roughly his physical age. Unwittingly, he began sizing her up as a potential mate. He'd been alone for so long, maybe it would be nice for the old wolf to take a mate. Here was a woman who there would be no shame in taking to his bed. Her grandfather made her eligible enough in his eyes. He would find out more about her, spend some time with her to decide whether or not to claim her as a mate. But he was already thinking about when he would bed the woman, as he was sure he would. He watched her finish her preparations with a different, more appreciative eye.

"So, you want me to find some friends of yours?" said Tokio, drawing Saitoh out of his thoughts.

"They're not my friends." he replied, handing her the personal affects of the missing wolves.

"Good, because this one's already dead." she said, seconds after having touched the first object, a T-shirt. She frowned in concentration. "He was the first to go. He was afraid, but he died fighting."

"Where's the body?" asked Saitoh. Tokio closed her eyes.

"Indoors. An empty room. That's all."

"Do you see these things?"

"No, it's more like intuition." She put the shirt down and picked up a big metal watch which belonged to the second man. "This man was drunk when he was taken. They didn't kill him immediately, they tied him up and one of them, an old man, tried to force him to change into his wolf form, for fun, but he died. You won't find the body."

"I'm impressed. Can all witches do this?" Saitoh asked.

"You have to be at least third-generation, and one of my mother was a true clairvoyant, so I'm particularly gifted." stated Tokio without a hint of modesty. She picked up the third object, a wallet. She closed her eyes for this one, and only opened them slowly after a long moment. She seemed thrown, but her face was the same as ever.

"What is it?" asked Saitoh.

"This one wasn't very ambitious. He stayed lower down in the pack, not because he was weak, but because he had a family." Her voice was completely emotionless, low and steady. "A wife, and small children. He didn't want anything to happen to them because of him. They made him happy. They had a nice house in the suburbs. Shishio's men attacked him there. He tried to fight them off but there were too many, and while he was fighting two more went and killed his family. He lost control and attacked the leader, a woman, a witch. She killed him before he got to her. And…" Tokio paused, closing her eyes and frowning. When she opened them again she looked up at Saitoh with a mixed look, part sadness, part confusion, part anger. "And she knew this would happen, she knew you would come to me and I would find them for you. It's what she wanted. These deaths were nothing more than a message."

There was silence in the small room. Saitoh didn't know what this meant but he was confident he would figure it out. Tokio didn't look sad exactly but something about her had changed, but she hid it too well for Saitoh to be able to tell what. He took a long drag on a fresh cigarette, thinking.

"Those things'll kill you." Tokio said absent-mindedly.

"No, they won't." he replied. He'd been a heavy smoker for the best part of his life, and he enjoyed every second of every cigarette. Being a werewolf, especially a hereditary one from a long, distinguished line like his, meant he would never get cancer, and if decided to quit, he'd only get cravings for a day or so. Usually the supernatural didn't like anything that gave them a smell, but Saitoh kept it up. It made him feel good, powerful, knowing that here was yet another thing he could do that so many others couldn't. He smiled to himself, inhaling the delicious poison.

"Then do you mind?" Saitoh was about to give her some snide comeback, when he saw she wasn't suggesting that he leave, she was in fact asking for a light, her own cigarette resting between her long, red nails. Saitoh gladly pulled out his matchbook and lit one for her. He always used matches rather than a lighter. A little hommage to the century he was born into. Perhaps his only sentimentality. Tokio inhaled deeply, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair, exhaling the smoke with a blissful sigh. Saitoh sat down in the chair opposite her, and they sat together in silence, steadily polluting the air, Saitoh thinking about the bewildering woman across from him and the even more confusing case, Tokio trying to forget it.

**Author's Note: **Review please! I only got 3 reviews for the last chapter, and I don't do this for my health, you know. Maybe if I tell you when this story will earn it's M rating... We start off with some pretty steamy lime in Chapter 7, then proper lemon in 11 and 15 and that's as far as I've got. Looking forward to it? I hope so. Review!


	6. The Lesson

**Author's note:** Thank you! So many more reviews, and such nice encouraging ones! Sorry this is a couple of days late, I was on holiday (again). This chapter, I admit, does not hold much for the M-rated reader _at first _But I like to think it gets better. There's some good back-story for the characters, and a very touching moment at the end. I hope you like it, and tune in in a fortnight for Kenshin and Kaoru's big citrussy moment. Also, my beta application has fallen through, so if anyone else wants the job, it's just sitting there waiting for you. I really do think I need a beta, especially in later chapters. Please contact me. Now, enjoy!

Chapter 6

Yahiko came to Kaoru's front door on time for his lesson the next night. He was already dressed in his white training clothes with his shinai over his shoulder.

"Hey, Busu! You ready or what?" he called, impatient as always.

"I'm coming, keep your pants on… Kenshin, you want to come watch us train?" she said.

Kenshin was surprised to be asked. He had been curious when he found out Kaoru knew swordsmanship. He didn't want to impose, but he didn't want to stay in the apartment by himself. He liked the idea of seeing Kaoru's style. He agreed to go.

The room they stopped at really did look like a dojo floor. It had a polished wooden floor, it was well-lit and had old fashioned ink paintings covering the walls. Kenshin sat down on a bench near the door as Kaoru and Yahiko took to the floor.

"Have you been practising your swings?" asked Kaoru, taking a shinai from a box.

"Yes." Yahiko replied with the manner of someone answering a question they get asked a lot.

"Good, then let's begin."

They bowed to each other then fell back into their positions, Kaoru defending, Yahiko attacking. After facing each other like this for a moment, Kaoru called, "Go!"

Yahiko lunged forward, but Kaoru easily evaded him. "Too rushed, think about what you're going to do." Yahiko whirled and tried again, getting closer to Kaoru this time. "Good, but you missed the weakness in my defence."

And so it went on, Yahiko trying to hit Kaoru while she gave him advice or encouragement. Steadily, Kaoru began to attack as well and they stopped talking, the only sound the clashing of shinai and their feet.

"You seem tense today, little Yahiko, is anything wrong?" asked Kaoru during one of her strikes.

"No, I'm fine, and don't call me little." answered Yahiko through clenched teeth, focusing on his shinai.

"School okay?" she persisted.

"I said I'm fine, Busu!" Yahiko saw an opening and went for it hard but Kaoru blocked him again, making him angrier.

"Well if it's not school," said Kaoru positioning herself carefully " Then it must be Tsubame."

"Wha-" Having succeeded in distracting him, Kaoru easily swept him off his feet. She smiled down at him in victory as they both got their breath back.

Kenshin was amazed at how easy and informal they were with each other. If he'd tried calling Hiko Seijuro anything other than Master, he probably wouldn't have survived his reaction. But their attitudes to each other didn't offend him, he quite liked it. They were like family, more big sister-little brother than teacher-student.

Kaoru picked up Yahiko's shinai and handed it to him.

"You're too easily distracted by what your opponent is saying, Yahiko. In this next exercise, I don't want you to talk, I want you to concentrate on hitting me." Yahiko clambered to his feet and they began again. After a few moments, Kaoru began taunting him again.

"So, Tsubame huh? I can see why you like her, she's a pretty girl." Yahiko's face hardened, but he managed not to say anything. So Kaoru tried again.

"Tsubame and Yahiko sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she sung. Yahiko's blows started coming faster and harder, but he still didn't speak.

"Just between you and me, I think she likes you, and I can't blame her, you're turning into quite an attractive young man."

That was apparently the last straw for Yahiko. He went to strike Kaoru's head and neck, and when she defended herself, he crudely kicked her foot out from under her.

"Excellent improvisation, Yahiko!" she praised, but he just turned away.

"You're twisted, you know that?" he said.

"All good teachers are." was her amused reply. She was still smiling, her pride in her student too strong for him to wound. Kenshin mused that Hiko would have said the same thing.

"Well, I'll never understand you." he said, shaking his head.

"Maybe not, but it gives me an idea." Yahiko looked up at her plotting tone, but her eyes weren't focused on him. They were looking at Kenshin. "I think we need an exercise in teamwork." she said.

Kenshin was beginning to get suspicious. Kaoru approached him slowly.

"Kenshin… how would you feel about sparring with us for a little?" she asked as sweetly as she could manage. Kenshin was obviously reluctant. "It would be good practice for Yahiko. All you'd have to do is avoid us, you wouldn't have to touch us at all. Please?"

Kenshin was reluctant, but he just sighed. He might as well, it would make Kaoru happy. He got to his feet.

"Cool!" cried Yahiko, grinning. "I get to fight Battousai."

"Yes, but you mustn't think of him as Battousai, he's just Kenshin. As long as you consider him undefeatable, he will be. We can beat him if we want." said Kaoru.

"Yeah but seriously, we're not gonna lay a finger on him. Even if he is 'just Kenshin', he's still a vampire."

"There's always a way, Yahiko. Now come on," They turned to face Kenshin who was standing nervously at the other end of the room. "What are our advantages?" she began, throwing a little theory into their practical lesson.

"We outnumber him."

"And?"

"And… we have shinai, he's unarmed."

"Anything else?"

"… I don't think so."

"We know the surroundings better. What are his weaknesses?" said Kaoru, very much like a teacher now.

"What? He doesn't have any."

"Not true, you're assuming that because he's a vampire, now think!" Kaoru said. Yahiko made a show of casting around in his mind.

"He… passes out at dawn."

"There's that, but that won't help us here because dawn isn't for another ten hours. I'm thinking of something else, come on… How does he feel about us?" Kaoru tried.

"I don't know, I guess he doesn't mind you, though I can't see why not." Yahiko curled his nose up in disgust.

"I'll ignore that because that's the answer I was looking for. Kenshin doesn't want to hurt us! Not that we want to, or even could, hurt him, but that's the point of the exercise. How can we use this to our advantage, bearing in mind that there are two of us?"

"I can use you as a human shield."

"Again, I'll ignore that, but yes, more or less. If one of us blocks him, the other can attack. The most basic teamwork techniques work in this way. One distracts and the other attacks. You can attack, since you need the practice."

"Hey!"

"Ready, Kenshin?" she called.

"Kaoru-dono, are you sure this-"

"Ready, Yahiko?"

"Yeah"

"Okay then, let's go."

At first, they couldn't get anywhere near him, it was like chasing a shadow. Kenshin would wait until they were close, then vanish, reappearing behind them. After a couple of minutes, Kaoru called Yahiko to her.

"We need to try something new." she said.

"You're telling me! He's so fast!"

"I know. We need to get creative. He's not going to let himself be cornered. If you can get above your opponent, you have the advantage. Hmm, he only moves at the last second, right? I think I have a plan…"

Kaoru and Yahiko faced Kenshin with identical expressions of determination and conviction. Kaoru of course realised that Kenshin must have heard them strategising with his enhanced senses.Yahiko looked to his sensei for a signal and she nodded once, sharply. Moving forward as one, as fast as they could manage, Kaoru ran straight at Kenshin and Yahiko tried to keep up behind her, his shinai primed. Kenshin saw what was meant to look like an act of desperation, a frontal charge. But this wasn't what Yahiko and Kaoru were doing. Kaoru had never meant to attack Kenshin. As soon as she was the closest she could be to Kenshin without making him move, she dropped to her knees and Yahiko, who had been temporarily obscured behind Kaoru, used her back as a springboard and launched himself into the air over Kenshin's head. Kenshin dodged the full force of Yahiko's strike, but the blow still glanced his shoulder.

"I got him!" Yahiko's animal cry echoed beside them. "We win! We beat the Battousai!" he cheered, breaking into his favourite victory dance involving many 'Uh-huh's' and some innocent gyrating. Kaoru smiled and got to her feet. "Thank you, I know you let us win." she said quietly while Yahiko was still distracted.

"It's a good thing that you're trying to teach him, I wanted to help." he replied. For some reason, Kaoru found herself blushing and looked down at the floor. She was suddenly full of an incredibly high-school feeling. Yahiko rescued her.

"Don't worry, Kenshin, I won't tell anybody I beat you."

"Thank you, I appreciate that, that I do." Kenshin smiled at the boy who was now standing at his shoulder, strangely comfortable next to the vampire.

"That's enough for today, Yahiko, it's getting late." said Kaoru.

"Alright," answered Yahiko, going easily for once without a fight. "Next lesson, will you show me some Hiten Mitsurugi ryu, Kenshin? That would kick ass!" His eyes sparkled in childish anticipation. Yahiko rarely looked so much like his young age.

"Watch your language and we'll see." said Kaoru, intervening.

Yahiko ran from the dojo and Kaoru watched him go.

"I was curious, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin's voice made Kaoru realise she hadn't been paying attention. "Why do you use a wooden sword when you mostly face vampires and werewolves?" Kaoru looked down at the shinai in her hand.

"It's a long story." she said.

"I would like to hear it, if you are willing to tell it." answered Kenshin, trying to catch her evasive eyes. There was a pause, then Kaoru began her story,

"When I first took over The Dojo, I led a raid on a vampire den that had been torturing and killing humans. The protocol on a mission like that is shoot first, ask questions later. Just as we were finishing up, a woman came at me with a sword. I thought she was a vampire and treated her as one. I cut off her head. But she was human, some kind of vampire groupie. There was blood everywhere.

I'd never really thought about what I was doing before that. I was killing people. Not humans but beings that were alive somehow, that had conscious. I couldn't continue using a real sword after that. Everyone deserves a second chance, a chance to change, and I couldn't take lives anymore. So I started using a wooden sword, made some adjustments to my father's technique, and that's how I fight now, concentrating on neutralising my attackers rather than killing them."

Retelling the story had brought back all the old guilt and memories for Kaoru and she sunk into thought as she finished, her eyes returning to her shinai.

"I understand, Kaoru-dono." came Kenshin's soft voice from above her.

Later, as Kaoru was showering back in her apartment and Kenshin was busying himself with any little jobs he could find to do, a knock came at the door. Kenshin put down his bundle of laundry and went to answer it.

"Megumi-dono?"

"Good evening, Kenshin." she said. She was looking nervous.

"Kaoru-dono is in the shower but I'm sure if you wanted to wait-" he began.

"Actually, I'm here to talk to you…" she gestured for him to join her in the corridor and pulled the door to behind him.

"I wanted to talk to you because you've been staying with Kaoru and it doesn't look like you're going anywhere soon. It looks as though she's getting quite attached to you, and good for her, I say," she added hurriedly, "I don't mind if you are Hitokiri Battousai, if Kaoru wants a vampire living with her that's her business. I just want to make sure you know what you're doing, Ken-san. Kaoru, she doesn't get out much. She hasn't any friends outside work, and she hasn't had a boyfriend since she was a teenager. The Dojo is her life, and I don't want to see her get hurt."

"I don't want to hurt her…" said Kenshin, thinking of something other than bruising the woman's heart.

"I didn't think you did, I'm just saying don't let her think things that aren't true. I like you, Ken-san, I don't want to have to hate you." And Megumi left without saying another word.

Kenshin turned and stepped back into the apartment, the door snapping shut at his heels. He sighed. Once again he was faced with the question, just what was he _doing_? Why was he staying? He was only putting the people around him in danger. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he didn't belong. A vampire staying with humans? A wolf among sheep. A wolf with morals, maybe, but a hungry wolf with morals. Who was he to try to live as though he hadn't spent the past two hundred years, give or take, feeding off other people's life like a vicious parasite. Why put himself through this? The cold and the dark was where he belonged. There was life here, all Kenshin had was an existence.

The longer he stayed, the more his thirst consumed him. He had to leave before it was too late. He only hoped Kaoru would forgive him.

The bathroom door opened and Kaoru came out, dressed and ready for whatever the rest of the night might bring. She was smiling at him as if he was just another one of her colleagues and close friends. She must have seen something in his face for the smile faltered and she asked,

"What is it, Kenshin?"

What indeed? What if she really was developing feelings for him? It wasn't unheard of, he knew what some women thought of his pale skin and red hair, women of looser reputations than Kaoru perhaps, but it wasn't impossible. How did he feel about her? He wanted to keep her safe, and happy. He didn't want her to be affected by his presence, but it was too late for that now. Shishio Makoto was his problem and he had brought it to her house like a plague. Maybe if he left, Shishio would follow him and leave Kaoru alone. Again he was forced to admit that the longer he stayed with her, the more he put her in danger. He had to leave. It wouldn't be the first time he would face death alone.

But maybe he could understand something first.

"Kaoru-dono, last night, when your friends told you that I was Battousai, why did you persist in asking me to stay?" he said, his voice was heavy with the weight of preparing to do what is best, and not want you want, but it carried a lilt of desperate curiosity, a need to comprehend.

Kaoru grew serious and took a moment to find the right words.

"I suppose you could say I did it because I believe in second chances." she said solemly. "I wanted to show you that you didn't _have_ to be Battousai if you didn't want to be, that you could have a life as Kenshin without being haunted by your past."

Kenshin was… amazed. Her words had struck a chord deep inside him that he hadn't known was there. He felt like a dying man seeing Heaven, a light at the end of the tunnel that had always been out of reach but was now coming closer. He'd spent almost half his life trying to atone for his innumerable sins, but he'd never thought about that one day when his penance would be over and he could start again. It was as if a door had been opened, and behind it was a want so heartbreakingly bittersweet it was crippling. Here in front of him was a girl - practically a child compared to him - offering him the salvation he never knew he wanted.

She held hope in her outstretched hand.

Kenshin fought to ebb the flow from his malnourished heart, and as soon as he was no longer overcome by it, different, familiar emotions presented themselves. Guilt, and worthlessness. No matter how much he wanted it, that life was forever closed to him. Hope was a privilege he could not afford. The newly-opened place inside him wept at the thought.

"When you have done what I have done, you don't forget the past. I must carry the weight of the lives I have taken." he said.

"I'm not saying forget the past, just don't let it rule you. How long has it been? A hundred years? How much longer are you going to deny yourself your right to happiness for the sake of dead men? You're a vampire, Kenshin, but by the life you've chosen and lived, you have paid whatever debt you owe to them, with interest. Isn't it time you let it go?"

Kenshin sighed silently and closed his eyes.

"I wish I could believe that." he said so quietly Kaoru wasn't sure if she'd heard him. Slowly, she walked towards him. Kenshin heard her coming but was still startled when he felt her warm fingers brush his own. He opened his eyes and watched as Kaoru, her expression urgently sincere, slowly raised his hand to cup her cheek. His cold touch brought a ripple of goosepimples to her skin. Her warmth pained him.

"I'll believe it for you." she said. Kenshin held his hand to her face, feeling the human delicacy and the unique acceptance of a young woman that it possessed. When Kaoru leant into his touch and her warmth began to seep into him, everything in Kenshin went quiet, as if all his warring emotions and conflicting ideals paused to watch, knew what a sacred moment this was and instinctively called a truce.

He never thought he would experience a moment like this. He had never once imagined that a young, beautiful, kind human girl would willingly place herself in his hands because she wanted to be there. Never had it occurred to him that a creature who so embodied life would welcome the feel of his cold and lifeless hand.

In that moment, in that spot, with Kaoru swearing her commitment to him with her eyes, while he looked back at her with nothing to offer but his unholy body and ruined soul and being told that it was enough, he swore to himself so profoundly that every dark corner of his conscious heard it, he swore that he would never do anything to make Kaoru lose that faith in him, that he would never become the thing they had both dedicated their lives to fighting.

A vampire.


	7. The Bath Night

Chapter 7

Kaoru loved Fridays. It was her one day off a week. That, and Friday night was bath night. Kaoru had spent the last few years of her life perfecting her routine and not a second was wasted. Everyone in the Dojo knew not to bother her - if they needed help they asked somebody else. If she was disturbed, Kaoru reacted with force and a lot of screaming, and was in a foul mood until the next Friday. It was in all their best interests to leave her alone. In fact, the only time she had abandoned her bath was when Yahiko had just moved in. He'd had a nightmare and she heard him crying from the bathroom, so she dried herself off and went to comfort him. In the end, she sat up with him all night, the only time without a hint of regret.

Kaoru slept in and woke with a smile on her face. She stretched out on the couch which she was still sleeping on, then curled up again. She became aware of a noise behind her and Kenshin appeared with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Good morning, Miss Kaoru. I made you some coffee. If you would like to tell me what you like for breakfast I can make that too." he said, looking eager but uncertain. He was lost, the cup he'd given Kaoru had been a fourth attempt. Kaoru laughed softly, sitting up and reaching for the cup.

"There's some cereal under the counter, Kenshin, thanks." she said smiling, and he disappeared back to the metre-square she called a kitchen. She'd never been waited on before. She decided to take the time to enjoy it.

Kaoru sat eating her cereal and drinking her coffee while Kenshin sat nearby and watched her for her next whim. She enjoyed sitting with him, talking innocently, he wasn't like any man she'd ever met. He didn't seem to want anything or even dislike anything. It was if he was just happy to be there.

But when her bowl was empty, Kaoru stood up and decided it was time to begin her relaxation marathon.

"I'm going to have a bath, so you're going to have to amuse yourself for an hour or two, okay?"

"Alright, Kaoru-dono." he said, and Kaoru headed off into the bathroom.

Bath night started with a quick, strong and steaming shower to get clean and wash her hair. Every couple of months Tae made a gift of a new shower-gel, this month's was Lux Red Wine & Roses. Kaoru smiled ironically, _I wish_, she thought. Then she ran a hot bath filled with all her favourite scents and soaked for about fifty minutes. She had music playing and a book or a magazine at hand, and she just lay back and let the stress of the past week just melt away. After that it was time for all the moisturisers, cleansers and conditioners she used for her skin and hair. Finally she would brush out her long, black hair.

Kaoru emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white robe feeling like a warm, contented cloud and loving it. She found Kenshin with his sleeves up, sponge in hand, looking guilty. Amazed she stared at her now spotless home.

"You didn't have to do this, you know." she said.

"I wanted to." he replied.

"You wanted to?" Kaoru hadn't thought her appartement had been that messy.

"I like it." said Kenshin. Kaoru scoffed and raised her eyebrows. "It's relaxing." he explained.

"Fine, whatever floats your boat, Kenshin." she said disbelievingly.

The truth was Kenshin had needed something to distract him. Though he hated to admit it, he was going to have to go hunting soon. Like, yesterday. He could last longer than most vampires, and his self-control was immeasurable, but normally he would have fed by now, and healing his injuries from his tangle with Shishio's men hadn't helped. While he had been wandering, he'd hung around dark alleyways, waiting for perfect victims. People who, for some reason, wouldn't mind him feeding off them. Usually they were the suicidal, the jaded, or just thrill-seekers. Being bitten by a vampire was quite a pleasurable experience; there were endorphins in his saliva. He never killed them though, he hadn't killed anyone in a hundred years.

But since he had been staying at the Dojo, he hadn't been able to do that, and he was beginning to feel it. That was why he'd wanted to leave last night, when he'd felt the first stirrings of the Battousai inside him that he fought so hard against. The thirst awoke the Battousai like nothing else. If he became Battousai again after a century of being a harmless rurouni, there was no telling the measure of the resulting slaughter, or even if he'd be able to return to a rurouni at all. He couldn't let that happen to Kaoru, so he'd tried to leave, but when she'd mentioned Shishio coming after her, he'd found he had to stay. Though he was sure she was hardly defenceless, he got an uneasy feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about leaving her alone. He just couldn't take the risk.

Kaoru walked slowly around the room, admiring his handiwork. Her wet hair was combed back and her robe was loosely tied. Her skin was flushed and hot from her bath and Kenshin could smell the inviting aroma of jasmine on her, lying atop her natural scent. She came close to him and smiled. Something inside him tightened and smiled back.

"This is all great Kenshin, thank you." she said, looking up at him with those eyes of hers, that both enticed and weakened him, holding his gaze.

"You're welcome, Kaoru-dono." he replied without thinking. His dizzied brain was on auto-pilot. He felt like he was drowning in her eyes, being pulled towards her. In the back of his mind it registered that he'd have to be careful or in his starved state he might accidentaly enchant her with his vampire eyes, but he was too far gone to act on it.

To him, Kaoru's eyes held life. They were young and innocent, her willingness and want as clear to see as if she'd said the words. Something was invading his consciousness. He became filled with a very male feeling - he was taller, he was stronger, and right now he was rendering her helpless. He was in charge; _she_ wanted _him._ He wanted to sample the life that burned in her eyes, and he knew she would welcome him. He could warm his soul that was as cold and lonely as the crypt with her life, her essence, her everything. She would fill him and make him complete. She would make him strong. He would devour her and she would taste better than anything ever had. That was her purpose.

Kaoru met his gaze and held it, wondering at the amber flecks that now dotted his amethyst eyes, but the more she focused on them and tried to remember if they'd always been there, the less she cared, until the only thing she could think of was how beautiful he was. His pale skin could have been carved alabaster, his red hair was the colour of blood from centuries without sun, his lips were a pale pink like rose petals and she found herself wondering if they were as soft as they looked. Without realising, she began to slowly lean towards him, her own lips parted.

Kenshin watched her wet her flushed, red lips with a fast growing need. He knew how warm, how soft she'd be under his hands, how well she'd fit into the shape of his body like so few others. Just thinking about it made his head swim and his fangs ache. He knew he wasn't supposed to act on these feelings, but he couldn't remember exactly why. He was moving towards her.

And then their lips met. It was everything, but not enough. It was as if they had always been that way. It was like a warm bed on a cold morning, impossibly comfortable, the sensation of ecstasy, the idea of stopping was insanity. Kenshin wrapped his arms around her waist and crushed her body to his, her breasts pillowing against his hard chest. He was kissing her as if he wanted to reach the very inside of her. Nothing was enough, he wanted more, he needed it. If he didn't possess her completely, he felt he would die. One hand left her waist and held the back of her head, positioning it to deepen the kiss. The more he kissed her the more he felt like he was starving for her.

Kaoru returned the kiss with her own ferocity. She took his need inside her, absorbing it. She was a bottomless cup that he was filling. She felt as if she'd been waiting for this her whole life. It didn't matter that the lips against hers were ice-cold, or that the body under her hands was as hard as stone. She moved her hand and slid it into his hair just above his loose ponytail, a move designed to keep them from breaking apart. Every pulse of his kiss gave her another wave of untainted happiness that kicked her heart and stroked her libido. He was completing her.

The kiss was open-mouthed, their tongues enjoying each other. Kenshin used the hand he still had on her lower back to push her hips against his. She moaned in pleasure and brought her leg up around his waist, bringing her groin tight against his. Her free hand left his back and pushed back his gi, loosening it and exposing his toned chest. She ran her thumb over his nipple and he made a frantic biting motion against her mouth.

Kenshin could feel a pressure building inside him. Kaoru was delicious, intoxicating, and she was inadvertently destroying him; he could feel his control unravelling and slipping away from him. He knew he could kiss her forever and never be completely satisfied. His soul was looking for something else, something more, and his body had told him what. Feeling her dainty fingers running over his body, a body that hadn't felt the touch of another in a century, had felt so good his body had acted by itself, telling him what would make it even better.

Kaoru felt the air on her exposed shoulders before she'd realised Kenshin had moved. That little distraction was all he needed to break the kiss and he was now kissing her neck with just as much urgency. Her head tilted back instinctively while his hand still held her in exactly the right position for him.

Kenshin was drowning in her. Her skin felt soft against his lips, the scent of her invaded his senses. He could hear her heart beat and her frantic breathing urging him on. He couldn't think. He found the pulse in her neck, just under the skin, beating as if it meant to fight him off. He parted his lips and positioned his fangs.

Kaoru felt Kenshin's teeth brush over her skin and the tiny pinpricks of his fangs.

"Yes…" she sighed, closing her eyes, preparing for him to take her, desperate for him to take her.

Without warning, Kaoru found herself on the floor across the room from where they'd been standing, her back against the wall, her head aching. Kenshin was gone and the only sign that was left of him was the open door. Kaoru's clouded mind was having trouble processing it. He had thrown her away from him with a violence that left her shaking. A hollow ache began in the pit of her stomach, and she slowly realised her chest was exposed. She drew her robe closed and sat up slowly, as if she was moving underwater. She would have cried if she hadn't been so completely baffled. What had gone wrong?

Looking back on what had just happened made her feel worse. She had felt sure Kenshin had wanted it just as much as she did. She found herself wishing he was still there, still kissing her, still wanting her. She shook with the need she felt to have his bare skin on his. Her body cried for the pressure of his hands, of sex. But he had thrown her away from him, why? Kaoru had never felt more dejected in her life. Then she realised, he had been about to bite her, drink her blood.

And she had let him. She had practically asked him to. She remembered her euphoric 'Yes'. Is that what years of fighting vampires had brought her? That she would just fall into the arms of the first one that came along, like some hapless rookie? Even though deep down she knew it wasn't like that, Kaoru was angry with herself. Better anger than the crushing grief she knew she might feel if she let herself. There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she got up, and went to get dressed. She was furious as she jerked on her clothes, even as tears came to her eyes.

Kenshin meanwhile was stumbling along the underground corridors, bent double like an old man, clinging to the walls to remain standing. Something was horribly wrong with him. He couldn't think, he could hardly stand, his vision was blurred. Everything was going in slow-motion and the walls twisted. He was boiling hot and freezing cold at the same time. He couldn't subdue his thirst, it was overpowering him. It rose in his throat and choked him, it pressed painfully on his ears. He tried to call for help but he couldn't hear his own voice. He felt like he was suffocating. The world turned black as the floor rose up to meet him.

**Author's note: **So, that was the eagerly-awaited lime chapter. What did you think? What did you like, what didn't you? I need to know, people. Next M-rated chapter is 11, a special treat that will come a week after 10, and not two. I know this one was shorter than the other's and I'm sorry about that. I had planned to put more of Kaoru in the bath in, I imagined her trying to relax while Kenshin kept knocking on the door to ask questions and annoying her, but she loves him anyway. Somehow it didn't work out like that, and there's only one measly paragraph on her actually bathing. (Yes, a lot of planning does go into this.)

Next chapter, we'll see more of Aoshi and Misao, Sano and Megumi, and Saitoh and Tokio, and all they're different story lines. Look forward to it, and I suppose parts of it might be considered a little citrussy, especially Saitoh's part, the old dog (Haha, get it?)

Meanwhile, I've given up on the beta thing, so instead I'm gonna need you guys to write lots of reviews to help me, k? Good or bad, they'll help.


	8. The Couples

Chapter 8

Kaoru's anger was quickly fading and leaving her cold. She realised Kenshin may never come back, and that she was alone again. Her appartement suddenly felt empty and quiet, like it never had before, and it wasn't like Kenshin made much noise anyway. She was sitting in her bedroom, but it could have been a mausoleum, with nothing to do but replay what had happened over and over in her head. It had been hours since then. Why hadn't Kenshin bitten her? Why had he left the way he had? Was it something she'd said or done? The doubt was just as bad as the loneliness.

Kaoru couldn't pretend she only felt friendship for him anymore. She remembered his body hard against hers, his cold skin under her fingers, his strong hands… She shivered, and it had nothing to do with temperature. If Kenshin hadn't left, if he hadn't wanted to bite her, they would still be in the bed she was sitting on, without a doubt. Kaoru was no virgin. Chaste maybe, inexperienced definitely, but not a virgin. She could still remember her first and only time. She had been sixteen, it had been with her boyfriend of the time. She'd got home to The Dojo, feeling unsteady, but happy, loved. Then they told her her father had just died. After that, running The Dojo was her life, she didn't have time for boys. But nothing, no-one, had ever made her feel the way Kenshin did.

Someone knocked on her door, and Kaoru ran to open it, almost tearing it off its hinges.

"Ken-!" It was Megumi. She was looking serious and a bit uncomfortable.

"Kenshin's in the infirmary, Kaoru." she said.

Kaoru didn't even shut the door behind her.

She crashed into the infirmary and searched desperately for Kenshin. He was lying in a bed at the end of the small ward, looking alien and strange, his hair and gi standing out stark against the white surroundings. She fell to her knees beside him, not bothering with the chair. She wanted to take his hand, but she didn't dare touch him. He was paler than pale, almost translucent, with a terribly wasted look to him. It hurt Kaoru to see him like that. An IV carried blood into his arm. Kaoru looked at her watch and saw that the sun came up an hour ago, which explained why he was still unconscious. That should have calmed her down, but it was of little comfort. Knowing that he wouldn't wake up for at least eight hours, however, Kaoru moved to the chair, but she kept her eyes on him.

"Sano found him in one of the corridors. I was surprised he brought him in, I would have expected him to just leave him." Megumi said, coming up behind her.

"What's wrong with him?" said Kaoru, her voice sounding light and distant.

"Well, for lack of a better word, he's starving."

"Starving? I didn't know that could happen." She stared at Kenshin's thin form on the bed as if she was trying to memorize it.

"Oh yes, you see the blood they drink carries oxygen to the brain for them, if they don't feed, they can easily pass out or worse. The blood begins to die as soon as it enters their system, I'm amazed he's lasted this long. But vampires don't usually let it get to that stage. He must not have wanted to hunt while he was staying with you."

"I had no idea." Kaoru felt awful. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him.

"Hmm, well I've already given him two pints of oxygenated blood, and I'll give him six more throughout the day. That should do it. He'll wake up feeling like a million bucks." she said, examining her clipboard. Kaoru said nothing. "You should probably get some sleep. He's not going anywhere."

Kaoru nodded but remained seated until Megumi left. She was staring at Kenshin, examining every inch of his fragile features. She reached out and laid her hand over his. His skin was like ice, and Kaoru wrapped both her hands around it, trying to warm it. Vampires didn't need to be warm, but she thought maybe it helped. Anything that would help, in even the tiniest way, she would do. She held on long after her own hands had lost their warmth.

Eventually she went back to her room, changed and crawled into bed. She fell asleep to images of Kenshin, and slept lightly. She'd set her alarm to wake her three hours before dusk to be sure to be there when Kenshin woke up. She got dressed quickly and tied her hair up, then went directly to the infirmary.

Megumi wasn't there, Kaoru assumed she must have gone to get some sleep. In her place a young nurse sat at a desk littered with medical files and equipment. She looked up when she came in and Kaoru smiled and nodded at her. Everyone in the Dojo knew Kaoru and she knew most of them.

She went to sit by Kenshin, who was now startlingly healthy looking, only the stillness of his chest gave him away as not human. The difference was stunning. His skin was such a healthy colour it could have been mistaken for a faded tan. His hair was just begging to be touched, and Kaoru knew that when he opened his eyes they would be an impossible shade of sparkling violet. He was irresistible, and though she wasn't complaining, Kaoru did think it was mightily unfair. He even seemed to have gained weight.

She pulled the chair close and sat down. She still had a while before the sun set, so she began leafing through one of the magazines that were on his bedside table. They turned out to be years out of date and about obscure subjects like lawn-tending, surely a result of the sadistic side of Megumi's sense of humour.

Somehow Kaoru passed the time and with half-an-hour to go before sundown, Kenshin's eyes were suddenly open. Kaoru could sense the difference in him immediately. He hadn't been sleeping, or unconscious, he'd been dead, inanimate, simple as that, then whatever force it was that kept vampires alive had returned and he was awake.

"Kaoru-dono?" he said upon seeing her there.

"Kenshin! Are you alright?" Looking at him, she felt all her worry over again.

"Yes, I feel very well, thank you." he replied, about to sit up.

Kaoru slammed her fist down on his head.

"Oro?"

"What were you thinking?!" she shrieked, making the nurse look up in surprise and Kenshin cower in the face of her anger. Now she knew he was fine, she was free to hate him for scaring her like that. "Not feeding? What kind of idiot does that?!"

"Forgive me, Kaoru-dono, I did not want to inconvenience you." Kenshin's eyes were wide as he answered her.

"Inconvenience me?!" Her voice shot through two octaves. "You think starving yourself was a better idea? You could have died! Never do that again!"

"I won't, Kaoru-dono." he said, a light smile playing on his lips. "I did not realise you cared so much for my welfare. Please do not blame an old wanderer for not wanting to remind his host of his... inhuman nature." He knelt on the bed and bowed low to her, his forehead touching the sheets.

"Yes, well, I suppose I forgive you." said Kaoru, trying to hold onto her anger though it was fast disappearing.

"Thank you." he said. There was a small pause and Kaoru decided now was as good a time as ever to answer her questions.

"Kenshin, why didn't you bite me? Back in my appartement?" Kenshin's eyes darkened, and he paused before he answered.

"You are not prey to me, Miss Kaoru, had I bitten you it would have been for more than just survival, and I would have become Battousai again. I couldn't let that happen."

"You didn't have to throw me though." Kaoru mumbled, feeling the bump where her head had hit the wall.

"I apologise again." he said, smiling. Then Megumi came in to discharge Kenshin, and it was all forgotten.

ooo

Misao knocked gently on her Okashira's door. Something had been bothering her recently, and she was sure other people were beginning to notice too. She had come of age but she still hadn't been fully initiated into the Oniwabanshuu. When members turned eighteen, they would be turned into a vampire by the Okashira. It had always been this way. It had been the same for all of her friends, only Misao's eighteenth birthday had come and gone and no plans had been made for her. It made her wonder all the more about her leader and what he felt about her. Could it be that he honestly didn't like her, or didn't think she was good enough to join the Oniwabanshuu?

"Come in." Aoshi's voice sent shivers down her spine like always but she forced herself to be strong. She opened the door and stepped into a very dark and businesslike room without any personal contribution. Her leader and secret love was sitting behind a desk looking over some files.

"What is it, Misao?" he said without looking up. Misao stepped shyly forward. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, but she was about to ask a question she wasn't sure she wanted the answer to.

"Um, Aoshi-sama, I just wanted to ask… I was just wondering… You know how I'm like…" Aoshi looked up at her impatiently. "Okay, I just wanted to know why I haven't been… you know… initiated yet."

Aoshi sighed and put down his pen.

"Misao… I just don't think this is the right time." he said. He had known it was coming, but he had prayed that somehow he would be spared this conversation. But the gods were obviously not feeling particularly merciful.

"Why not? I've completed my training, I know all there is to know about the Oniwabanshuu, and I'm eighteen!"

"I don't think you're ready… physically." Aoshi was grasping at straws. He couldn't tell her the real reason he refused to turn her, but he owed her a lie that was at least plausible. Of course, little did Aoshi know, this answer was a knife in Misao's heart. All her doubts and insecurities were confirmed. She had always thought of herself as under-developed and unattractive, but to hear it from her love's own mouth was simply torturous.

"I see." she said, tears coming to her eyes, "I'll just go then. Goodnight, Aoshi-sama."

"Goodnight, Misao." he replied to the slammed door.

"I can't believe you said that to her." A voice said from the shadows.

"Okina, this doesn't concern you." Aoshi said turning back to his work. Okina was an elderly human man who worked for the Oniwabanshuu. Most vampire clans had servants like him, who guarded the house during the day, took care of any business that could not be done at night, and raised the next generation of recruits. Since the Bakumatsu, Aoshi's clan had been laying low, taking things easy, so Okina was their only human servant, and Misao was the only recruit. And she only got in because she was the last living relative of the former leader.

"I think it does. Misao is one of us, why are you denying her her rightful place? You know it's what she's wanted most in the world since she was six years old. And to tell her that it's because of her size is just cruel, and a lie anyway, size has nothing to do with it. In fact, it might even be an advantage in our line of work. I think I know the real reason you won't turn her like you're supposed to, even if you won't admit it. I think you love her."

"You're out of order, Okina." the Okashira replied with a hint of menace to remind him who he was talking to.

"Yes, Okashira, forgive the ramblings of an old man. I just wish you'd think about how much you just hurt the young girl who worships the ground you walk on, that's all." and with that he left the room.

Aoshi looked down at the papers in his hands but found he couldn't concentrate anymore. He stood up and went to look out the window. It was true, he needed Misao more than anyone else, he enjoyed having her around just for the sake of having her around. She was yang to his yin, she enabled him to be who he was. He wanted to protect and keep her, and if that was love then so be it. But it was for exactly those reasons that he couldn't bring himself to make Misao a vampire. Just the thought of sinking his demonic fangs into her slender neck, of drinking her blood and draining her life away like he had so many other meaningless humans, then poisoning her with his own infected blood until she was as wretched as he was… It turned his stomach. He couldn't condemn her to the empty life of a predator. He was doing the right thing.

ooo

There was something pure in lying in his arms. Megumi pulled the arm tighter around her waist and leant back into his chest. He moved in his sleep and buried his nose in her hair. She smiled and looked over her shoulder at him. He looked younger in his sleep, although physically he was still a couple of years younger than her anyway.

And he always would be.

Megumi felt a twinge of sadness at that thought, but she pushed it away. She believed in enjoying the present while it lasted.

How long had it been since they had first discovered each other? Megumi had told him not to tell anyone, and he appeared to have kept his word, though she knew it hurt him. What they had was more than just physical attraction, they found comfort and acceptance when they were together. She wouldn't say she loved him, but there was something special there. It felt almost as if they had skipped all the stages of a relationship until they were just… comfortable. They went together and they both knew it.

Megumi practiced telling him she loved him in her head, but it just didn't sound right. And when she imagined him telling her he loved her she thought she might like him less. She'd truly found her match in him, both as dysfunctional as each other, the perfect fit.

She leant over the side of the bed and retrieved his shirt. She moved to the edge of the bed and got up, slipping it on. As she padded silently across the carpeted floor towards the door, she heard covers slide behind her.

"Where you going, 'tsune?" said Sano sleepily from the bed without opening his eyes.

"Just to get a drink, go back to sleep." she replied. He nodded and rolled over.

"K, come back after." he mumbled.

Megumi smiled. That was all the I-love-you she needed.

ooo

"Saitoh, I think there's something you should know about me." Tokio said to the man currently lying on top of her and kissing her neck. She hadn't wanted to do this, but she decided it was only fair. She had to explain why she might not be very good. If you asked her, she wouldn't be able to tell you how they'd ended up like this, but that was a different matter. It was something they both wanted, as they lay on her bed, various articles of clothing scattered on the floor.

"What?" he asked without pausing in his activities. Tokio kept her eyes on the ceiling, knowing that if she looked at him, and saw those amazing, magical, dazzling, _powerful_ eyes of his, she'd just throw caution to the wind and not tell him. It was bad enough she had to feel him, what his hands were doing. At this rate she'd never get the words out. Already his voice dented her resolution, already things were getting out of hand. She'd never felt this way before. His touch, his kiss, it was all she could do not to beg him to take her. She wanted him to, she _really_ wanted him to, but she had to get this out of the way first.

"I've never done this before." she said, waiting for his reaction. He slowed and stopped, then shifted up onto his elbows to look down at her. He didn't look shocked or incredulous, he never did, but there was something in his face that hurt her.

"I'm a virgin, Saitoh." she looked into his face and wished she hadn't. There was a long pause.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Twenty-six" she answered. God, she hated this.

"And you're still a virgin?" Ah, there was the incredulity. This was what she had always feared, deep in her heart's core. Suddenly it didn't feel to her like they were two people about to have sex, it felt like they were just two people lying one on top of the other. She wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to recover the moment she'd just ruined. She looked him straight in the eye, trying to let her honesty show through, this was her chance to salvage the situation.

"No-one else was good enough, no-one else was worth it. They didn't measure up. I realise now that you're what I've been waiting for. Someone I could admire, be proud of."

Saitoh looked her. He couldn't believe this. This woman who seemed perfect for him had suddenly just become a little too perfect. To be the only man to experience her fully would be to possess every aspect of her, she would truly be his, and he couldn't bring himself to do that unless he intended to make her his mate, and he was still unsure. Unfortunately it made him want her all the more. She would be a sweet prize, and he would take his time with her, teaching and exploring her. Already her innocent and shy caresses (now understood) drove him crazy, called to the wolf he harboured like magic. She wasn't like the brazen whores he'd had thrust upon him in the past. She was pure, she was delicate, she was offering herself instead of demanding him. God, how he wanted her! Of course, he didn't let it show on the outside. He didn't want to scare her.

But he couldn't take her most precious gift from her without the right intentions. He cursed under his breath.

Tokio watched in despair as he rolled off her and pulled on his t-shirt. She sat up as dignified as she could.

"I'm not asking you to promise me anything. I want it to be you, just because it's you! It's too late for me to want anyone else now that I've found you, do you understand? Even if you were to leave me and never come back, I'd still ask you to share my first night with me. I want to belong to you. Please, don't make me regret telling you."

Saitoh had continued getting dressed while she'd been talking, trying to block out the words that were dragging him back to her as surely as any chain, but he stopped when he reached the door. He looked back at her. The powerful witch, the beautiful woman, the Shinsengumi heir… He couldn't leave her like this.

"Another time, perhaps." It was the best he could do for her then. But she still smiled slightly at him.

"That's not a no." she said.

"No, it's not." And with that he left. But she didn't mind, she had hope. He'd cared enough to give her that.


	9. The Juppongatana

Chapter 9

Kenshin woke up at exactly the same time as he always had, down to the last second. There was no grogginess, or lingering dreams, he was just suddenly awake, where he hadn't been before. He never dreamed, a fact he was glad of. He didn't need the nightmares.

He sat up on Kaoru's bed and got his bearings. Her room was cosy but practical, with a dark blue carpet, white walls, and no windows, which made it pitch black inside, but Kenshin could see well enough. He felt uncomfortable about taking her bed and making her sleep on the couch, but it was that or die a very painful death by sunlight.

No light seeped through the crack under the door, which usually meant Kaoru wasn't awake yet, but he couldn't sense her ki - or any other - nearby. This made him terribly anxious for some reason.

He got up quickly and went through to the other room. After searching the entire appartement and finding it empty, he tied his sakabatou to his waist and left. He couldn't rest without knowing where she was. It was a strange feeling, but one he couldn't bear to fight. He _needed _to have her close to him, to keep her safe.

The infirmary was in turmoil, with nurses running to and fro while Megumi shouted for medical supplies as Kenshin passed. He narrowly avoided getting hit in the face with the door as a young nurse dashed out, not seeing him. As the door was swinging slowly closed, there was a brief moment when Megumi was the only one standing by the occupied bed, and Kenshin turned to ice as the possibilities of who the figure lying there, broken and bloody, was. Images of a dying Kaoru flickered through his mind each one worse than its predecessor. He forced his way to the bedside.

It was Sano. His white clothes were bloody and his face was bruised and swollen and that was only the superficial damage. Kenshin relaxed, too relieved to feel guilty. But the nagging feeling that was plaguing him returned, and he found that he _had_ to know how Sano got hurt.

"Megumi-dono, what happened?" he asked. But she was too upset to answer him.

"Not now, Kenshin. Does this hurt?" she rushed, pressing on Sano's abdomen, making him wince. "Damn it," she grabbed a nearby nurse, "Call Dr Gensai, tell him we need him _now_!"

Kenshin watched all this with only one thought on his mind.

Kaoru.

A hand grabbed his wrist, making him look down sharply at the bed. Sano was looking up at him, obviously fighting hard to keep conscious.

"Kenshin," he croaked, his eyes fluttering closed before he forced them open. "They took Kaoru. You have to get her back, you're the only one who…" Sano grunted with pain, his giant frame convulsing, but Kenshin was already gone.

He was going back to the manor in which Shishio had kept him and Kaoru prisoner. Somehow, he knew that's where she was. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sakabatou as he ran, nothing more than a blur and a gust of wind through the streets. His mind was blank, his body working with the lethal precision he hadn't felt in years. His muscles were tensed and ready, getting to Kaoru dominated his thoughts and left no room for anything else, he was perfectly focused as he shot towards the compound like a bullet.

The estate crested the horizon within minutes. The perimeter was well lit by floodlights, with guards in towers and on the ground. The house itself was dark, only a few windows showing any lights. It was an old house, and it looked almost derelict in the dark. It seemed too conspicuous and extravagant to house a vampire lord, but that was Shishio's way. He had become accustomed to the life of luxury and felt he above all people deserved it, and he was loathe to hide.

Kenshin didn't even try to sneak in. He knew they were expecting him. Kaoru was just bait for him, it was a trap and he knew it, but it didn't matter. There was no choice here, nor did he want one. In one swing he had cut his way through the fence and in two more dispatched the guards. A second later he had reached the front door, already open for him. An old man was waiting for him. He was so short he hardly came up to Kenshin's ribs, but he had a sadistic look to him.

"Follow me." he croaked. He had an evil, high-pitched voice. Kenshin followed the old man. He was not his target. Kenshin would follow the protocol, and he would meet any challenges, but he was there to retrieve Kaoru, unharmed, not to fight.

The old man led him through what had surely been a charmingly ornate hall once towards some grand stairs. The house had obviously been the pride and joy of a very rich man, but now the wallpaper was faded, the wood chipped and the candelabras were disused in favour of electric lights, which looked awkward and foreign on the walls.

After what seemed like a suspiciously long time, the old man came to a stop at a door which looked like all the others, but gave the impression that it had been used recently. Kenshin's guide looked at him and knocked theatrically, then he swung the door open and gestured for Kenshin to enter.

Bracing himself, Kenshin walked steadily through. The room could have been anything. It had a bay window, a wood floor, and the same worn wallpaper as the rest of the house. There was no furniture or curtains, just a bare light-bulb hanging from the ceiling.

Four men and one woman, all vampires, were standing in no particular order around the room, including the old man who was now behind him. Kenshin took them all in in a glance, not wasting any time. One of the men was terribly emaciated, wearing only a pair of trousers and a stiff, black cape wrapped tightly around his skeletal frame. Another was fat and strangely pink and looking at Kenshin with a moronic grin on his face. The last man looked tall, but that may only have been his exceptional blond hair that stuck up vertically like the bristles of a broom. He had at least six swords that Kenshin could see secured around his body. The woman had short black hair and was holding a giant scythe, and though Kenshin couldn't put his finger on it, something seemed a little off about her. They were all members of the Juppongatana.

No one had spoken. They stood evaluating each other, but the silence was not awkward.

"Hitokiri Battousai…" said the sinisterly thin one with reverence.

"Owner of the last sword of Shakku Arai…" added the blond with equal awe.

"He's shorter than I expected." commented the woman in the corner, her loud voice holding more intrigue than respect.

"Where is she?" Kenshin said simply, his voice steady, carrying the threat they all knew was there. He knew he was surrounded, and his senses were on fire.

"Of course, how rude of us." The old man moved from behind him to stand with the others. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Saizuchi, that is Kamatari, and Cho, Henya, and Iwanbo." he said, pointing them all out in turn. "It is an honour to have you here." The old man had the nerve to look eager.

"Where is she?" Kenshin repeated. Saizuchi looked faintly irritated that Kenshin was not sharing in their excitement.

"Yes, well, I regret that we had to resort to such methods to get you here, but we knew you might not have come otherwise." He didn't look the least bit sorry. Kenshin's patience was wearing thin. He stepped closer to the old man, making him crane his neck to see his face.

"Bring Kaoru-dono to me." he said, his eyes narrowed and his voice leaving them no doubt as to what he was thinking of doing to them. Saizuchi sighed,

"Very well, if you insist…" He jerked his head at Iwanbo who waddled out of the room and came back after a moment with Kaoru slung limply over his shoulder. He dumped her carelessly on the floor where she lay unmoving.

"We had to knock her out when she resorted to biting." Saizuchi said. Under different circumstances, Kenshin would have smiled, both with pride and relief. He walked towards her.

"I shall take Kaoru-dono and leave now." he said, voice still calm, daring them to try and stop him. He reached Kaoru and effortlessly picked her up, gently cradling her unconscious form in his arms.

"What? But we ain't even got a chance to fight yet." Cho said, his southern accent nothing short of eccentric.

"I suggest you leave it that way." was Kenshin's reply.

"Unfortunately for you, Battousai, we have our orders." said Henya with relish.

"An' Ah was so lookin' forward to usin' my new sword…" agreed Cho.

"Now, you boys leave some for me." added Kamatari with a wink.

Kenshin sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected to get out without fighting, but that didn't mean he wanted to. He carefully put Kaoru down again, then turned to face his opponents, his hand on his sword.

It was Cho who stepped forward. He removed his garish coat, dropping it to the floor. His stomach appeared to be wrapped in some kind of polished steel. Kenshin watched as he reached behind his back and the steel uncoiled like a dreadful snake with a slick scratching sound. The man's sword - for Kenshin could see now that that was what it was - pooled at his feet, making it hard to tell just how long it really was.

"This is the hakujin no tachi, mah pride and joy." he said, stirring the metal whip affectionately. "Ah've been waitin' for a guy like you to come along so Ah could really put it through its paces."

Kenshin didn't reply. He just faced his opponent and waited. The tension in the air began to intensify but still neither swordsman moved. The power in the room was phenomenal as Kenshin tried to intimidate Cho into backing down. Finally, it reached its crescendo, when one of them would move and the fight would begin.

Cho's hakujin no tachi cut through the air straight at Kenshin who evaded the initial attack but the blade suddenly twisted back at him and he was forced to draw his sword to defend himself.

"Now that you've drawn your sword, this party can really get started!" cried Cho, grinning. He launched his sword at Kenshin once more but this time he was ready, predicting the blade's movements and landing a few feet away unscathed.

Unnoticed by any of them in the commotion, Kaoru stirred and sat up. Frowning, she put her hand to her aching head and opened her eyes to the scene in front of her.

"Let me have Kaoru-dono now and we won't need to finish this fight." Kenshin said.

"But we're just gettin' started! Maybe Ah oughta eliminate the distraction." Cho replied, mischief glinting in his eyes a second before he redirected the hakujin no tachi straight at Kaoru.

Kenshin saw what was happening and immediately threw himself across the room and in front of Kaoru without thinking, making it there a fraction of a second before Cho's sword, his back to him. Kenshin winced as the blade bit into his leg. He could feel a slow trickle of blood but it soon stopped. He looked down into Kaoru's wide blue eyes.

"Are you alright, Kaoru-dono?"

"Kenshin…" she said in awe.

"Oh, Ah get it now, the man won't fight unless his girl's in danger… Well that's not too hard to arrange." interrupted Cho

Kenshin could hear the smile in his voice and his words turned his blood to stone. Slowly he turned his head to glare at Cho and he had to swallow a growl. For an instant, Cho looked startled by the ferocity in Kenshin's eyes, but then the old arrogance crept back in and his old smile plastered itself across his face again.

"Now that's better!" he cried.

"This ends now." said Kenshin, low and deadly, turning to face him. Cho flicked the handle of hakujin no tachi and the blade returned to him.

The ribbon-like sword flew through the air, aimed directly at Kenshin's heart. Kenshin knocked the sword away with such force that it planted itself in the wall, unable to chase him further. Kenshin continued forward, running the length of the room with god-like speed, until he re-appeared in front of Cho. With one hand he grabbed Cho's wrist, stopping him from using his sword, and with the other hand he slashed his own sword across his chest, sending him flying.

Cho hit the ground and stayed there. Kenshin straightened up and sheathed his sword. Composed, he turned back to Kaoru.

Only to find her in Iwanbo's arms, surrounded by Juppongatana. Iwanbo's fat, pink hand was around her neck. Kenshin froze.

"That's enough, Battousai. Cho was an idiot, but we're not taking any chances. Give up your sword." said Saizuchi, assuming leadership again. When Kenshin didn't move, Saizuchi sighed.

"Iwanbo." he commanded. Iwanbo's hand tightened on Kaoru's neck and Kenshin could just imagine the fragile bones and tendons snapping under the pressure. Kaoru tried to be brave but her beautiful face frowned in pain and she bit her lip, letting out a quiet whimper.

The sakabatou hit the floor and slid to a halt at their feet.

"Let Kaoru-dono go." he said. But he sounded defeated, they both knew that they had him. Iwanbo relaxed his hold on Kaoru's throat.

"Kenshin, no, don't do this!" she cried through her coughs, fighting to get to him.

"Of course." answered Saizuchi, ignoring Kaoru's thrashing, as Kamatari and Henya moved to take hold of Kenshin. He didn't fight them, he just looked back into Kaoru's panic-stricken face, capturing her eyes as if he was trying to memorise their colour forever. She stilled under his intense gaze, it seemed like something private. Distracted, she didn't notice when Iwanbo struck her again, she just crumpled silently to the floor, unconscious once more.

"Iwanbo, get Cho." said Saizuchi. Iwanbo lumbered over to his fallen comrade's prone form, and seized him by his blond hair, laughing slightly. Kaoru had fallen on her back, her face turned toward Kenshin, her hair fallen away exposing the lines of her neck. One arm was bent towards him, her hand palm up, her fingers curled slightly as if she was reaching for him.

Saizuchi was standing in front of Kenshin.

"And now, Battousai, now we have you."

ooo

Kaoru woke up feeling cold and stiff all over. She had a sense that time had passed, a couple of hours, maybe more. The first thought in her head was Kenshin. She scrambled to her feet and out into the corridor. She had no idea where Kenshin was, or if he was even still in the building, but she was going to look. She ran from one end of the landing to the other, opening every door that wasn't locked and calling through all of the ones that were. Then she ran downstairs and did the same there. She was being as cautious as she could be, but her own safety was not a priority.

She came to a door with less dust on it, and thankfully it opened. Inside the floor was made of cold stone and the only light came from large candles lining the walls. What was strange however, was the thing sitting in the middle of the room. It looked like a concrete cross between a coffin and a bath tub. There were hinges and locks and chains all over it, with two pipes leading into its base. Kaoru knew she had found the right place.

She ran her fingers over the chains and locks looking for a weakness but she couldn't find one. She hammered on the lid with her palm and called Kenshin's name but there was no reply. Looking around the room in desperation, she couldn't believe her good fortune when her eyes fell on a ring of keys.

After a couple of tries, she found the right key and the thick chains slithered to the floor. Another key fit the lock on the coffin and she slid the lid off, making it crash to the floor loudly. Inside, it was full of what looked like the surface of a ruby mirror. Her own face reflected back at her and she leant closer. When her breathing made ripples on the surface she knew it wasn't anything as nice as a ruby mirror. The tub was full of water, and it was blood that was making it red.

Horrified, she plunged her hand in. The water felt like it had been hot, but had been left standing for so long that it was now cold. The tub was so deep that, kneeling, she had to stick her whole arm in and she still couldn't feel the bottom.

Her finger tips brushed something that moved like cloth and she shot to her feet. She bent over, and with both arms, she pulled Kenshin from the water.

He looked terrible. His wet hair was plastered to his face, which was terrifyingly white and he had the same wasted look that she'd only seen once before; when she had walked in on him "sleeping". His lips were thin and pulled back from his teeth, making his fangs look prominent and frightening. His clothes were dripping wet and his white hakama were tinged red by the bloody water. His eyes were closed, and his skin was colder than she'd ever felt it. But what scared her were the long, deep cuts on his neck, wrists and other points along his body. She then understood what they'd been doing to him. They'd been bleeding him to death.

Kaoru laid Kenshin carefully on the floor. She held his face in her hands.

"Kenshin! Kenshin, wake up!" she called, but he didn't move. He was as unresponsive as the dead.

Kaoru was at a loss of what to do. She knew it was too early to be day, she knew this state was unnatural, but she didn't know just how bad it was. Usually you have to cut off a vampire's head or cut out its heart to kill it, and Kenshin was still in one piece. But losing that much blood couldn't be a good thing, and the Juppongatana wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't going to hurt him.

Kaoru was getting frantic, how do you know when a vampire is really dead? Kaoru refused to consider it. Would CPR work? Did his heart even beat? At least he breathed some of the time… Pinching his nose closed, she bent down and breathed into his mouth, trying to ignore those threatening fangs. His chest rose, but other than that nothing happened. She tried again, harder this time. Once more his chest rose, but she could tell it was no good. As she pulled away, however, she nicked her lip on one of Kenshin's fangs, making a drop of blood spill onto her tongue, which gave her an idea. If there was one thing that a vampire would react to, it was blood. The wonderful cure-all that would either get a response or prove that he really was dead.

Only problem was, the only blood to hand was her own. But Kaoru decided she didn't have a choice. Open a vein, or leave Kenshin for dead.

No contest.

She sat up and cast around in the dim room for something to cut herself with. A foot away, Kenshin's sakabatou lay next to the coffin. Someone had left it there as they would on a grave. Kaoru reached for it and rolled up her sleeve. She unsheathed the sword, the reversed blade seeming to shine eerily bright. She put it to her wrist and looked away. Bracing herself, she focused on Kenshin and her reason for doing this, and dragged the cutting edge swiftly across her skin. The pain was quick and made her cry out, but it eased as the blood came, thick and red, dripping down her hand.

Quickly she put it to Kenshin's mouth and waited. The seconds ticked by but nothing happened. Her blood stained his teeth but still he didn't react. She tried rubbing his throat to make him swallow but he remained unresponsive.

"Come on, Kenshin, what's wrong with you?" she cried, thumping his chest with her available fist. The blood began to trickle from the corners of his mouth, and tears gathered in her eyes. She wasn't saving him, it wasn't working.

"Please, Kenshin, please, swallow, wake up, for me, please. Kenshin…" Her voice broke. She sealed her other hand around his mouth to stop the blood escaping. Could a vampire drown on blood?

The tears overflowed and ran down her cheeks. What else could she do, she was out of options. The vampire nature that Kenshin fought so hard against wouldn't help him when he needed it the most.

Vampire nature…

Hadn't he said that Battousai was the personification of his vampire nature? Maybe Kenshin wouldn't drink and save himself, but surely Battousai was less discerning. Maybe Kaoru had been calling the wrong name. It was a long shot, but it was the only one Kaoru had left.

She didn't stop to consider what consequences calling Battousai would have. If it meant keeping Kenshin alive, she would do it. She bent down, lowering her face next to his ear.

"Battousai?" she said tentatively, the word sounding foreign on her tongue. "Battousai, I know you're in there somewhere, wake up." Still nothing happened. Kaoru was suddenly angry, "Battousai, damn it, I need you!" she cried, knocking his head against the floor slightly. "I'm calling you, Battousai, so drink and live, Goddammit!"

She felt his lips convulse against her hand and she gasped. She saw his throat move as he swallowed again and she almost laughed. Instead she bent down and kissed his forehead, his nose, his cheek, anywhere she could. He was alive! Now she could feel him sucking the blood from her arm; it was uncomfortable and painful. She thought vaguely that it was supposed to feel good.

She let him feed, watching him with delight. But through her joy, she realised she was starting to feel a little light-headed, she'd lost a lot of blood by then, and Kenshin was still feeding hungrily from her wrist. She tried to pull away, but his hand snapped up and grabbed her arm, keeping it in place.

Uh-oh.

She hadn't thought this through. It was something of a character flaw with her, thinking with her heart instead of her head and ending up in situations like this. Kenshin was going to drain her dry before he even realised what he was doing. She pulled harder at her wrist, but Kenshin just followed it until he was sitting up. His face still didn't show any sign of awareness, he was just a body doing what it needed to do to survive. He was inches away from her but it might as well have been miles.

"Kenshin, stop." she said as white spots began to appear in her vision. Her breath came in gasps. "Please Kenshin, you need to stop, you'll kill me." But he didn't stop. He continued to suck at the cut, a little less urgently than before, but far from gently. He was starting to look better now, more fleshed out. Some strange, oxygen-starved part of her was reverent of the vampire taking her life one mouthful at a time.

Kaoru couldn't feel her limbs anymore and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. She had to stop him, or this really would be the end for her.

"Stop, please, Battousai. Stop." she called the name that seemed to work, her voice barely audible above the pounding in her ears.

His lips came free. The pull on her veins stopped. She turned her eyes to see his face, which was turned away from her, looking all around the room as if he was trying to find something to recognize. He looked down at her wrist, which was still in his hand, and she could see him lick his teeth. Then he turned his eyes to her and she was caught. Like a deer in headlights she was pinned by his startling amber eyes, dangerous and totally alien from Kenshin's gentle, violet ones. They looked at her with puzzlement and a disinterested curiosity, as if he didn't care who she was or what happened to her but was mildly confused by what he was doing drinking from her. They were stunningly beautiful in their way, and Kaoru let them take away her pain and nausea. They knelt there, just staring at each other, Battousai looking for answers, Kaoru just trying to stay conscious.

After a long moment, the look of puzzlement faded into confusion and purple seeped into the amber of his irises. He frowned,

"Kaoru-dono?" asked Kenshin. His voice was like the sweetest music to her ears, and with her relief, her dizziness returned and this time she couldn't fend it off. Her eyes rolled and she pitched forward into his arms, sinking deep into a black sea of nausea and disorientation. She fainted with a smile on her lips.

The sound of running feet made Kenshin look up from the passed-out girl in his lap to the door, where Megumi, some guards, and a bandaged Sano stood frozen in horror and outrage. He looked back down at Kaoru and realised he was in trouble.

**Author's Note:** So how was my first Action scene? Biiiig plot development this chapter, ay? Since it's the summer, I might start updating more frequently, once I start writing, sounds good?


	10. The Evening After

**Author's Note:** Well, this is going up early 'cause I have more time for writing now. Also, Welcome to my new Beta, Nebulia!

Chapter 10

All Kaoru wanted was to go back to sleep. Kenshin was okay, and her body felt all wrung out. Nevertheless, she was warm and comfortable. Everything was good, she wasn't needed - she could just close her eyes again and go back to sleep.

No such luck.

The second she showed any sign of life, three shadows loomed over her bed.

"Is she awake?" asked Sano's voice.

"She will be soon if you don't keep it down!" whispered Megumi angrily.

"Kaoru?" That was Yahiko, he sounded closer than the others, worried. Kaoru considered pretending, but in the end decided to wake up for them. They were, after all, the closest thing she had to family. She didn't want them to worry unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I'm awake." Her voice was unexpectedly hoarse. She pushed herself up to sit against the pillows, and was startled by a sharp pain in her wrist. It was bandaged, but she imagined she could still see the cut she had made the night before.

Suddenly she was smothered in their concern. Megumi's hands felt and tested her all over, and they were all talking at her at once, asking how she felt, if she wanted anything, and giving their opinions on the night before.

"What happened? How long was I out?" Kaoru asked, her eyes falling on the IV leading into her hand. They fell silent.

"A day. He took a lot. It was pretty touch and go." Megumi answered her finally, her voice carefully controlled.

"Where's Kenshin?" said Kaoru. She looked at their faces properly now, they all looked suddenly irate.

"That son of a bitch is where he belongs, locked up! We're still deciding on what to do with him. I can't believe I _trusted_ him! But don't worry, he'll pay for what he did." said Sano passionately, his fists clenching.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru couldn't think what they were talking about, Kenshin hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he was the one who had rescued her. Her head hurt.

Megumi affected a professionally sensitive tone, the one she used when she had to give someone bad news.

"Kaoru, Kenshin bit you. That's why your wrist is bandaged." Their mistake made Kaoru laugh with relief.

"He didn't bite me, I cut my own wrist and gave it to him. To save his life." she said. Her friends exchanged looks.

"You should rest some more, Kaoru. Your head got hit pretty hard, you're confused." said Megumi.

"I'm not confused, it's the truth! The Juppongatana were trying to bleed Kenshin to death so I made him drink from me. He didn't have a choice!" Kaoru could tell from their expression that they still didn't believe her, and probably wouldn't easily. They wanted to believe Kenshin was evil. "Look, what did Kenshin tell you?" she asked.

"He didn't feel like talking, but he looked damn guilty when we found him." Sano said darkly. It was obvious they hadn't asked him. Oh, well, she would convince them later; right then Kaoru felt that she wanted to see Kenshin.

"Where are my clothes?" Kaoru asked with determination. Her friends all looked unsure, as if they wanted to stop her but weren't sure how to handle her, considering her scrambled brains. She found them herself on the chair next to her and, after ignoring Megumi's protestations and removing the IV, dressed as well and as quickly as she could under the covers. Then she got out of bed and headed for the door.

Sano's big hand caught her upper arm and spun her around.

"Listen, Jou-chan, I know you think he's some sort of reformed saint, that he's _different_," he said the word with a sneer, "but he's a vampire. He always has been and he always will be. He drinks blood, _your_ blood, and if you let him he'll do it again. For all his pretences and kind words, he's still a soulless, destructive monster, and I won't just sit by and watch you tempt fate. So I'm asking you, don't be stupid, get rid of him."

For all the honest concern in Sano's deep, brown eyes, there was too much arrogance and prejudice. He didn't know Kenshin the way she did, and he sure as hell couldn't tell her what to do.

"You know what's funny, Sano?" Kaoru replied. "You sound just like him. But don't worry, I can take care of myself." She was trying to be kind and reassuring, but truth be told, she didn't really care. She dearly hoped he would get over it – he was one of her best friends – but she didn't have the energy to struggle with a prejudice that had had a century to fester and secure itself.

He let her go, looking angry and hurt, which she was sorry for, but she still turned her back on him and made her way to the cells. She'd make it up to him later.

As she walked, Kaoru had the chance to go over last night in her mind. What the hell had she done? And more importantly, what had made her do it? She remembered all too clearly how she felt when she had thought Kenshin was dead. The desperate, do-anything feeling that had made her reach for his sakabatou. She had been raised on Vampires Drink Blood, Vampires Kill You, and yet she hadn't hesitated when it had been Kenshin's life on the line. There had only been one thought in her head, so clear it could have been written in neon across her eyeballs. She needed him. There was something special about him. His unique appearance and meek little smile were so dear to her...Was she in love? Oh boy, was she ever. She'd fallen and fallen hard and landed right in a heap of trouble. How did she get herself into these situations?

The Dojo's holding bay was on the bottom-most floor, hundreds of feet below ground level. The cells themselves weren't like prison cells or dungeons; they were actually relatively high-tech. The furniture was made of a thick but flexible white plastic, they were always well-lit, and they had ultra-durable bars going both vertically and horizontally so that they couldn't be bent or slipped through. Every cell had a door set into the bars and every door was locked.

Kaoru arrived and had the guard give her the keys. She couldn't see Kenshin from where she was and she rushed down the row until she found him. He was in a middle cell, sitting with his back against the side wall and his arms resting on his raised knees. His hair was matted and his clothes were stiff and still had the reddish tinge from the bloody water the night before, but he was alive. Unhappy, but alive.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried when she saw him, hurrying to get the door unlocked.

His face shot up in alarm the second he heard her voice and he immediately threw himself at her feet in a bow of abject submission, as if he was begging for his life. His forehead was against the floor and he refused to raise it as he began to speak.

"Kaoru-dono, I beg your forgiveness, though I know I am not worthy." His voice was shaking. "I did to you what I swore I never would, and even as wretched and loathsome a creature I find myself to be, I can only imagine what you must think of me." Though she could not see his face, Kaoru could hear his misery and read it in his body language as he started to shake his head, still facing the floor.

"Kenshin…" she began softly.

"Oh Kaoru-dono, I know I deserve it, but please find the mercy in your heart to spare me your harsh words. I assure you it is impossible for me to feel any more ashamed than I already do. I give you my word I will leave tonight and you shall never have to bear my presence again."

His last statement sent Kaoru spinning into such anxiety that she didn't hear the rest of his self-deprecating speech. She interrupted him.

"Kenshin," She saw him brace himself for what he was sure would be a declaration of her eternal hatred for him. "You have to be the most self-centred, self-absorbed, _arrogant _person I have ever met in my entire life!" Her voice grew louder as she spoke until she was shouting at him, her expression one of appalled astonishment.

This startled Kenshin enough to make him rise out of his bow, his amethyst eyes wide.

"How can you be so narcissistic as to blame yourself for what happened?! You were _unconscious_! I cut my own wrist and _forced_ you to drink because you were _dying_! You didn't know what you were doing and you couldn't have stopped me if you'd wanted to! It's _my_ fault! I was the one who _saved your life_!" She paused both to get her breath back and because she was still astounded by his behaviour.

"But… but I could have killed you…" Kenshin said quietly, cowering in the face of her indignation.

"And that would have been _my_ fault, too! Besides, you didn't, so why worry about it?" she put her hands on her hips and cocked her knee, it was her turn to shake her head at _him_.

But Kenshin's stupor was more than Kaoru could fix.

"I could have killed you, too…" he said as if to himself, his bangs shading his eyes, he tilted his face down to his hands. "I would have killed you, too… Nothing's changed… I haven't changed…" he murmured quietly. His hands balled into fists and began to shake.

It dawned on Kaoru that there was more here than she knew. His words hinted at more than just his usual amount of self-inflicted sorrow. Kaoru had the feeling she was witnessing the reason why Kenshin always blamed himself, why he fought so hard against his vampire nature, maybe even why he had become a rurouni.

Moving slowly, she knelt next to him. She laid her hand on one of his and the shaking stopped.

"Who did you kill, Kenshin?" she asked gently, inclining her face towards his, his eyes still hidden from her.

He took so long to reply that at first Kaoru thought he wasn't going to. But then she heard him, his voice nothing more than a pained whisper.

"Tomoe…" he said, "My wife…"

Kaoru's soul exploded into so many emotions she couldn't tell what she was feeling. Anger, pity, curiosity… She pushed them all away and probed deeper.

"What happened?"

"I was… lost. A vampire assassin fighting in the Bakumatsu. When I met her, it was like finding shelter in a storm. She was all that kept me sane, yet every night I would kill again, and I would enjoy it. I was Battousai."

Kenshin told his story in a hollow voice, never looking at Kaoru, but not taking his hand away from hers. Kaoru listened to his story, feeling her own pain alongside his.

"But she stayed with me. To this day I don't understand why she didn't try to escape me as her friends told her to. It would have been better for her if she had." Kaoru could tell he was approaching the story of her death.

"One night, I was returning from a difficult mission. I was injured and thirsty and in my exhausted state I didn't even sense my pursuers. I had just reached the house she and I shared when a troop of lower-ranking Shinsengumi ambushed me. I was only just able to defend myself. When it was safe, she came out from the house - she must have been waiting for me. I had received several deep wounds, and my body needed the blood of another to heal itself."

Kaoru realised with horror and sadness what she was about to hear, how Tomoe had died.

"She knelt beside me in the snow and offered herself to me. I almost hate her for that. I was upon her before she had time to draw breath. My control was not what it is now. My mind went blank and I drank from her until there was nothing left. I killed her. I killed Tomoe. And it felt good."

Kaoru noticed she was crying, and she wiped her cheek with her free hand.

"Only then, as my wounds closed and my skin warmed with her blood, did I pull away and realise what I had done. I can still see myself holding her, willing her to live again, her skin as white as the snow around us. She held a holy dagger in her hand – I assume one of her friends had given it to her to protect herself against me. It was tipped with my blood. She had cut my cheek while I had been feeding from her."

Kenshin talked about his scar as if it wasn't still visible on his face today, as if it didn't still haunt him every time he looked in a mirror.. Then, moving slowly as if it hurt him, he curled in on himself, drawing his knees up and resting his head on his arms.

"I killed her because I wasn't strong enough. I vowed I would become strong, that I would never put another in that position."

Suddenly, Kenshin looked up and turned the full power of his grief-filled eyes on her, making her breath catch.

"But I have. I put you in that position last night, Kaoru-dono. How can I forgive myself for that?" he said.

Kaoru thought. She thought about Kenshin's story, his past, how it made her feel, how she felt about him, she thought about all this and the answer was clear to her. "Kenshin, I think Tomoe loved you. She stayed with you because she just wanted to be with you, and I think the way she cut you was her way of saying she forgave you. I think that because I feel the same way. You don't have to blame yourself for feeding from us," It sounded strange, to associate herself with someone who died at least a century ago, connected through time by their love of the same man. "We wanted to do it, to save you. I know that I at least would do it again if I had to, and again, and again. That's love," Her voice faltered once but she carried on. If ever there was a time for honesty, this was it. "And love means never having to say you're sorry." She tried for a weak smile. "And you don't have to worry about becoming Battousai again, you didn't kill me, you stopped. You were strong enough."

Kenshin lifted her hand and brought it to his lips, not exactly kissing it, but just gently pressing it to his mouth. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"You shouldn't love me." he said.

"And yet… I do."

He opened his eyes and looked at her again.

"No matter what you say, Kaoru-dono, I wronged you last night. I promise you that I will make it up to you. If it takes me an eternity, I will." he said.

"All I want from you, Kenshin, is your company. Don't leave; stay with me. Promise me that instead."

"It's not safe, I'm not safe." he frowned and shook his head.

"Can't you tell? I live life on the edge." Kaoru said, attempting a joke. Kenshin turned her hand so that her bandaged wrist was facing up.

"Yes, the edge of my sakabatou." The look in his eyes was serious. "But if my staying with you is all you want, then I will do it, for as long as you want me too. I can only hope you will realise your foolishness in time."

"Don't count on it." said Kaoru, smiling for real this time. A pregnant silence enveloped the couple until Kaoru had to break it.

"Come on, I'll see if I can find you some clean clothes, and I bet you want a bath." she said, getting to her feet.

"That would be nice." he said, joining her. Kaoru turned for the door, but Kenshin's pull on her hand held her back. "Kaoru-dono?"

She turned back him.

"Yes, Kenshin?"

His arms came up around her waist and pulled her close to him in a chaste hug.

"I am glad that you are safe, that I am." he murmured into her hair. Kaoru was shocked. This was the most intimate they'd been since that fateful night in her apartment. It wasn't lust that was guiding him, it was something else, something much more valuable. Kaoru closed her eyes and memorised the feel of him, she breathed in his faint scent, a touch of something autumnal.

"Thank you." was the best Kaoru could do to express what she was feeling. Thank you for this moment, thank you for caring, thank you for surviving.

She felt his hold on her loosening and she used her own grip on his hand to lead him back to her room.

ooo

Kenshin emerged from the bathroom wearing the white training gi and hakama that Kaoru had found for him. His own clothes were currently finishing a cycle in the tumble-dryer. His red hair was washed and hung heavy around his shoulders in an unruly tangle. If his hair was the colour of rubies when dry, then wet it was the colour of blood; the darkest of reds, comparable to nothing Kaoru had ever seen. It set off his white skin drastically, infinitely enhancing his seductive vampire beauty. The sight of him made Kaoru's heart race and powerful fantasies of him blazed momentarily in her mind.

"Do you have a brush I could borrow?" he said, forcing Kaoru to pry her eyes away from him to find her hairbrush. Kenshin sat down in front of her vanity, but he didn't look the least bit feminine. When she found it, Kaoru unconsciously stood behind him and started to smooth the tangles herself while Kenshin let her do it.

After a minute of this however, Kenshin spoke.

"Kaoru-dono, while I was bathing, I was able to think about what you asked of me, and I understood that I cannot stay with you." Kaoru froze as his words penetrated, but she forced herself to go on as Kenshin continued to speak. "Something is different. Battousai is… nearer somehow. It used to be that I was only aware of him if I wanted to be, as you might be aware of someone in the next room, but now it is as if he is standing right beside me. It's hard to explain." Kenshin frowned in aggravation.

Kaoru was hardly breathing. She knew what was happening to Kenshin. It had, after all, been her who had called Battousai to the surface. So, there would be repercussions after all. Maybe Kenshin would be able to suppress him again. A small part of Kaoru had the sense left to hope that he would, if just for the sake of humanity. The stories of Battousai were bone-chilling. But she couldn't find the words to tell Kenshin the truth. It was so strange to hear him talk about Battousai like that, like a different person.

"I am more dangerous to you now than I ever was. I _must_ leave. And this time, you will not be able to talk me out of it. I hope you understand. Forgive me."

Kaoru had listened to his words and shut down. Mysteriously, there was none of that screaming desperation, that hollow feeling. Her face was perfectly blank. She realised she'd finished with his hair and she let her hands fall lifeless to her sides. Kenshin rose and walked through to the other room. As she watched him go, Kaoru felt a small twinge but her body wasn't responding to her emotions, it wasn't letting her feel.

Kenshin came back after a moment wearing his old clothes. It occurred to Kaoru that it must be strange that she hadn't moved at all. He left the spare clothes folded on the bed and slipped out, pausing only to say,

"Goodbye" over his shoulder.

The door closed and he was gone. Instantly the apartment was colder and had the ominous presence of a derelict building. But Kaoru ignored it. She stayed standing, perfectly still, the words _He's gone_ echoing in her head without her really hearing them.

Time passed, and eventually she sat down, and awareness began to seep back into her mind. She was suddenly filled with an urge to do something, anything. She put the still wet brush down and went into the kitchen. She paced there as she considered going to the Akabeko to work, but if nothing was happening there, she would be stuck.

The phone rang, and she answered it, pausing in her thoughts, with no idea how long it had been.

"Kaoru? How are you?" It was Megumi, and she sounded too concerned. She knew.

"Kenshin left." It was easy to say it out loud, she'd already said it in her head a thousand times over. Megumi sighed heavily.

"Kaoru, I _am_ sorry." she said. "But I still think it's for the best."

"Oh, spare me your hypocrisy, Megumi, you know you got what you wanted." Kaoru said, the first sparks of anger showing, and hung up without waiting for Megumi to reply. The anger she'd felt had opened the door to other emotions and she sunk into an armchair, pulling her knees up under her chin, finally allowing herself to cry. The man she had come to love was gone. She was alone. Again.


	11. The Okashira

**Author's note: **Okay, people! It's the moment we've all been waiting for! The chapter in which the story earns its M rating. This chapter is all Aoshi and Misao, remember how Misao stormed off after chapter 8? Well, this follows on after that.

Chapter 11

Aoshi didn't like it. No-one had seen Misao since she'd fled his office four nights ago. She had officially run away. Though the others didn't know the exact reason for Misao's disappearance, they'd started to wonder. He'd noticed them looking at him differently.

But that meant little to him. Not knowing where Misao was, or what she was doing or whether she was even alright was having a more detrimental effect on him than he'd anticipated. He was uneasy all the time, he couldn't stay still, and he snapped at anyone who dared talk to him. But it was more than just not knowing, it was the pure _lack_ of Misao that made his shoulders tense. A world without Misao's laugh, without her smile, without her scent or her 'Aoshi-sama's' was an evil, empty place.

The general opinion was that Misao would come back when she was ready; she just needed some time to herself. But that wasn't good enough for Aoshi; he couldn't take it anymore. He was approaching breaking point. He would have to leave himself if he didn't do something soon.

He summoned Hannya.

"Yes, Okashira?" he said, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"Go out and find Misao," ordered Aoshi.

"I'm sure she'll return; why don't you wait until the end of the week?" suggested the phantom onmitsu. Aoshi turned on him.

"Go now!" he barked angrily.

"Yes, Okashira," Hannya replied formally and disappeared. Aoshi turned towards the window to watch the black trees swaying against a navy sky. Now, he would wait. If anyone could find Misao, it was Hannya.

Sure enough, after two or three hours, Aoshi sensed a presence nearby.

"Well?" he said aloud to the apparently empty room.

"She's in a bar in the old district," spoke the unseen voice.

Aoshi got his coat.

ooo

Misao's misery was slowly turning into a calmer depression. She sat in the dark bar with her coat on and her hands around a glass of whiskey and ice. No-one had asked her her age, this wasn't that nice a place. She came here because she could sit alone and let the alcohol numb her. It didn't take much, Misao only had one drink a night, she was too much of a ninja to get properly drunk and rob herself of her senses. Mostly she just concentrated on the next day, where her money was coming from, where she was going to stay. She wouldn't let herself think about past days with the Oniwabanshuu. One day at a time was all she could handle.

"Hey, I'm gonna be closing up soon," said the bartender gently. Misao started out of her stupor and realised that they were the only two people left in the bar.

"Oh right, sorry," she said, sliding of the stool and straightening her stiff legs.

"You got anywhere to stay tonight?" asked the bartender. He was a young man, with very natural features and kind eyes.

"Yeah, I'll find somewhere, probably a motel, it's okay," said Misao.

"You could always stay with me, I got a bed free." The man smiled at her as she looked at him. Maybe it was the whiskey or the loneliness but she considered his offer. She could do with a friend, and he didn't seem like a bad guy. And she was Misao Makimachi, right? She could take care of herself.

"Sure, that sounds good, thank you."

"Okay, great." He smiled again, finished wiping down the counter and turned of the lights. A streetlight outside illuminated their path.

Misao knew it was cold but she wouldn't let it bother her. She paused at the door and waited for the bartender.

"So what's your name anyway?" she asked as he locked the door, wrapping her coat around her tightly.

"Tetsuo, I live just down the street," he said over his shoulder.

"I'm Misao." He turned to her and they started walking.

"So, Misao, how come you've been in the bar the past four nights in a row? You just popped up out of nowhere," he asked, sounding generally interested. Misao hesitated, it was too painful.

"It's a long story," she answered after a moment, averting her eyes.

"Ah, I get it. Man troubles." For some reason, that made Misao smile. There was a pause in the conversation in which, in the dark, Misao tripped on an uneven paving stone. Tetsuo caught her clumsily against his chest.

Misao looked up at him to thank him but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. She had never had anyone look at her that way herself, but she'd seen enough romance movies to recognise it. The smile froze on her face.

Tetsuo was thinking about kissing her.

He seemed to decide it was a good idea too, because he started to lean down towards her. Misao didn't know what she wanted. She didn't have Aoshi anymore, couldn't she have Tetsuo instead? Did she want Tetsuo, though? No, she couldn't lie to herself, Aoshi was too ingrained in her heart to ever be got over. But she didn't have him anymore…

In the end, she didn't have to decide. She was just able to feel Tetsuo's breathing against her skin when he was ripped away from her and across the street by a terrifyingly powerful and furious force. Misao looked up into the face of her Okashira. He looked livid, his black hair moving slowly, stirred by a rush of vampire power.

"Aoshi-sa -?" started Misao in confusion.

"You are _mine_, Misao." he growled in her face, his blue eyes full of lightning, stealing any words she might have had from her throat. Aoshi seized her upper arm and began pulling her away. His grip was like a vice – she could feel the strength that could break her arm as if it was nothing - and she had to run to keep up with his angry stride. His mouth was set and his eyes were narrowed. She'd never seen him like this, and she couldn't deny it scared her. A thousand questions bustled and shoved each other in her head.

They stopped abruptly at a black sports car, one Misao recognised as belonging to the Oniwabanshuu.

"Get in." His voice still sent shivers down her spine. Even angry, it was still wonderful to hear. Dear God, she loved him.

She slid onto the leather seat and closed the door. Aoshi was already next to her. He revved the engine excessively and they peeled away. He drove like a madman, paying no attention to speed limits or traffic lights, and Misao clung to her seat for dear life.

They arrived at the Oniwabanshuu's temporary Tokyo headquarters and Aoshi threw open his car door, practically tearing it off. A split second later he was holding open Misao's door and she climbed out. She was like a leaf caught up in a river, getting dragged along. Underneath her fear, elevation was rolling. He had called her his. Surely this reaction was a step forward? Then why was he so angry at her… Was she in trouble?

Aoshi resumed his grip, this time on her wrist, and began leading her through the compound. His step was calmer and Misao didn't have to run to keep up. One look at his face however, and she knew he was no less enraged.

They began to move through unfamiliar corridors.

"Aoshi-sama, where are we going?" Misao dared.

"My quarters." he answered curtly, sending Misao's heart racing to her throat. Why were they going there of all places, why not to his office?

They turned into a corridor that had only one door in it. Aoshi released her wrist while he unlocked it and Misao tried not to rub her sore appendage. Aoshi then stepped back to let her in ahead of him. As she walked past, she chanced a glance at his eyes. He was still glaring at her.

Aoshi's living room was just as impersonal as his office, with only a few decorative items here and there, like an ink painting and some antique kodachi, but Misao was still thrilled to be there. Aoshi walked past her and threw his coat over a chair back, then stood in front of her, looking down, his arms folded. Fury rolled off him in waves.

"Explain yourself," he said, his voice carefully controlled. Misao was confused.

"For what?" she asked, hoping not to incur his wrath any more.

"What were you doing with that… that _man_?" he sneered, his straight nose wrinkling slightly, his eyes narrowing, and his top lip raising in a faint snarl. A testament to how angry he truly was.

"Tetsuo?" she said. Aoshi snorted in distaste. "He offered to let me stay with him and I accepted," she said innocently.

This didn't seem to help. In fact Aoshi looked like he was on the verge of a stroke. His glare was so intense Misao felt that she should burst into flames.

"You mean to say that you were going to… spend the night with him?" Aoshi sounded like he was choking on his rage.

"Yeah. But not like _that_!" she added hastily, cottoning on. Aoshi stared at her for a long moment, making her uncomfortable. It occurred to her that this was the closest she'd been to him in years, and that they were alone in his apartment. Too bad Aoshi was feeling more murderous than amorous.

"What's wrong? Why are you so angry, Aoshi-sama?" she asked.

This time it was Aoshi's turn to shiver inside at the sound of her voice, or more specifically the way she said his name. It had been too long, he was no longer desensitised to her. He turned away from her, unwilling to answer her question to himself, let alone out loud.

"Go back to your room, Misao," he said.

Misao stared at _him_ now in amazement. He had dragged her away from the life she was scraping together for herself, back to the hardest place for her to leave, only to order her to go back to the life she'd left behind, the life _he'd_ denied her, just because he said so!

Well, he'd said other things too, things like 'You are mine, Misao'. She thought she deserved answers.

Suddenly, just the sight of him incensed her.

"No, I won't!" Aoshi spun around, shocked at her defiance. "I want to know why you're acting like this! And I think that after what you've put me through I deserve an answer!" she cried.

"I said go back to your room," ordered Aoshi, his voice edged with his unquestionable authority. But Misao wouldn't be swayed.

"No! I don't have to do what you say; you're not my Okashira anymore, Aoshi! Remember? I wasn't ready… _physically_ to join the Oniwabanshuu." He flinched when he heard his own words and inflection repeated back to him, telling him just how much he had hurt her. "And I'm going to stay right here until I'm satisfied!"

For one awful moment, nothing but silence filled the air. Then, slowly, Aoshi walked towards her until he was only inches away. His eyes relaxed into something like surrender and he lightly brushed his fingertips along her jaw, his eyes following them. It was like the calm before the storm and it made Misao's heart jump to her throat in terror.

"You brought this on yourself," he said quietly. For a second, Misao thought he was going to hit her. But then a spark ignited his eyes and he was kissing her, his hand rough against her neck.

Misao was so surprised that she let out a little squeak, but Aoshi kept his lips pressed against hers unrelentingly and Misao finally relaxed into him. She may not understand it, or believe it, but she knew this was what she had wanted ever since she'd found out what kissing was. Aoshi's arm brought her against him, and he continued to kiss her fiercely, chasing her mouth with his. She put her arms around his neck and tried to mirror his actions. She wanted to convey to him all the love she had always held for him. His passion was evident enough, though Misao was still having trouble believing it was really happening.

Misao felt the mattress at her back before she realised where they were. She was instantly filled with anticipation and nerves, but Aoshi didn't give her time to doubt herself. The fact of the matter was, she wanted what he wanted, the same as it had always been. Now she had a real opportunity to matter to Aoshi, she wasn't just going to turn her back. She tentatively rested her fingertips against his bare chest, testing whether or not she could do this.

"Misao," he said, his mouth next to her ear. "My control is hanging by a thread. Now is not the time for teasing. I want you to be sure about what you want." Just his voice beside her ear brought her out in goosepimples.

She gently pushed him aside and sat up. She knelt facing him. His eyes were fixed on her, carefully giving nothing away, the expression she had come to adore. She caught his eyes and held them, they were hypnotic in a way that had nothing to do with vampire power. There was nothing about him she didn't love with every part of her. Loosening the ties on her top, she pulled it over her head. She wasn't a curvaceous woman, nor a particularly feminine one, so she didn't wear a bra. She was instantly embarrassed at having exposed herself this way, reminding herself of her feelings of inadequacy, and she sat, awkward, with her hands in her lap.

Aoshi suddenly moved toward her, making her breath catch. He reached behind her, his head next to hers, the chill that came off his skin setting her own on fire. He picked up her long plait and began undoing it. Misao just waited, until her hair fell about her shoulders in soft black waves, the kinks catching the light.

Aoshi sat back and admired her.

"Misao," he began, sounding breathless, his eyes darting all over her, trying to take everything in. "How could you ever be so foolish as to think that I didn't want you?"

Misao just shrugged. His eyes flicked to hers just then and her heart skipped a beat. The look he gave her was predatory, merciless, irrational. He came forward and kissed her, hard. If Misao hadn't braced her hand against his jaw, it would have hurt. His hands moved to her hips and jerked them out from under her, putting her on her back. His cold hands slid all over her waist and back, grasping and stroking her skin, making her nipples grow hard. He pressed their chests together, enjoying the feel of her.

Her scent filled his head, driving him on even more urgently. Every little sigh or gasp hit him in the stomach like a wrecking ball, making his muscles flex in anticipation, driving him crazy. He nuzzled her neck, wanting her, but that was dangerous territory for a vampire, and there was so much more for him to discover. He braced his arms on the bed and began moving down her body, kissing and teasing her as he went, trying to ignore the frantic beating of her heart. He reached the valley of her breasts and stopped. He looked up at her from under his brow, only to see her staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily, trying to keep her cool. He wanted to see her eyes. He would make her look at him. He would make her lose that control.

He raised his head so that she couldn't feel him anymore, then, encircling her nipple with his mouth open wide, he bit down suddenly, being careful not to hurt her too much. Misao cried out and arched her back, whimpering. She looked down at Aoshi, and met his grinning eyes. Holding her gaze, he closed his lips around he nipple and sucked gently, as if in coy apology, making her whimper again.

Aoshi removed their clothes quickly, without really taking the time to enjoy it. His resolve had been washed away like sand before a tsunami. His mind was in shreds, all he knew was what his body wanted, and that was Misao. It felt so good to give in. He would claim her, make her a part of him, and she would never, ever leave him again. Everything about her enticed him, the delicacy of her figure, the uncertainty in her touches, the softness of her skin. Her warmth, her smell, her taste.

Pretty soon he was resting between her thighs, the knowledge of that fact thrilling through him. He was seconds away from making her his, and every fibre in his body _ached_ for it. He gratefully licked the sweat from between her breasts. He adjusted his weight, preparing to enter her, when her small hand on his chest stopped him.

"Aoshi, wait." she said weakly and without conviction.

"I love you, Misao." He said it without thinking or hearing himself. "I love you, you're everything to me, please, Misao." He was rambling, but Misao let her hand fall away, giving him permission.

He drove himself inside her, hard, and her whole body convulsed with it. She bit down on her lip to stop herself from crying out and a tear escaped from her eye to run down her temple. Aoshi withdrew and thrust into her again, and again she jerked with the pain. He wasn't being as careful or as gentle as he should have been, and as in all things, their difference in sheer size wasn't making it any easier for her. Somewhere in the back of his mind it registered that this was wrong, that this wasn't how it was supposed to be. That she wasn't supposed to be crying.

Sick with guilt, he paused, but she refused to look at him. He brought one hand up to gently turn her face towards his, wiping away the tears. He asked her with his eyes what he could do, but she just shook her head. Aoshi rested his forehead against hers, holding her eyes in a disarmingly intimate manner. He let her see into his soul, everything, trying to convey to her what he felt, how much he valued this moment. Then he took hold of one of her hands and placed it on his lower back, letting her feel when his muscles moved to pull away or push himself into her again.

Like this, Aoshi began to move again. Slowly, agonisingly slowly, he left and re-entered her, pushing against her tight walls, her warmth clouding his mind, soothing him. He forced himself to let her adjust. As a rhythm began to build between them, Aoshi watched every wince (each one making him love her more deeply) until they stopped and gave way to gasps of pleasure. He ran his hand up the back of her thigh which rested against his hip and she ran her hand more confidently than before over his muscular shoulder and down to his chest.

A shudder ran through Aoshi, physical proof of the damage she was doing to his mind. His sweet Misao was undoing him. But still he forced himself to keep their tender rhythm. He focused on her eyes again,

"Are you close?" he whispered, his voice rough. A spasm within Misao made him grunt in surprise and pleasure, and, straining to maintain control, he was forced to ball his hand up in the sheets.

"I don't know. This is all new for me," she whispered back, her voice sounding sweeter than it ever had, her face aglow, sweat glistening along her neck and collarbone. Aoshi felt so young in his love for her.

"For me as well," he told her, hoping to reassure her. The world had truly become only for them, only that room, only that bed.

"How am I doing?" she breathed. She tried to smile. Aoshi lowered his mouth next to her ear.

"You're destroying me," he whispered confidentially. Another tensing of her muscles, this time slow and gentle, had him sighing her name into her hair. He took her free hand and kissed its palm.

"What about you? Are you... " She gasped. "Close?"

He laughed lightly. "You may think my self-control is limitless, but trust me, it is nothing compared to the power you have over me," he answered.

Misao whimpered, and locked her ankles behind him. She slid her arms under his and held onto his shoulders, burying her face into the curve of his neck, pulling him closer to her. She gasped again, and began to move her hips against his, begging him for more.

"I love you," she whispered.

"My Misao," he answered, sliding a free hand under her back.

"Ah! Aoshi, I can feel it,... It aches... Make it stop," she pleaded.

"Tell me how," he replied, listening intently.

"Kiss me," she said. Their mouths met clumsily, and he kissed her deeply. Her movements became more frantic. Aoshi gave in and increased the speed and depth of his thrusts, driving himself as well as her closer to the edge. She broke their kiss and cried out, digging her nails into his back as the tensing of her inner-muscles pushed him into his own climax.

When the world refocused, Aoshi raised his head and looked down for Misao's face. She was still breathing heavily, and she looked exhausted, but she smiled at him and rose up for a chaste kiss. Aoshi, being a vampire, couldn't get tired, but he felt spent, used in a good way, and warm. Strangely, he also felt more secure in that one moment with her than in any other in his whole life. He nuzzled the top of Misao's head as they lay next to each other, her head resting on his shoulder.

ooo

Aoshi lay perfectly still so as not to disturb her. To anyone else they would look like any normal pair of young lovers. You could not tell the difference in their rank, history or species as they lay there. Aoshi liked that thought. He'd never once in his life felt eighteen, but with Misao in his arms he could well imagine himself there. A boy and his girl, basking in the uncertain, fragile love they held for each other. He raised his hand and began tracing his fingertips up her arm as she slept, the delicate curve of her shoulder. He hadn't taken his eyes off her for a moment. This was all so new to him.

Misao inhaled deeply as she woke, her big aqua-marine eyes flickering open to fix on his face.

"Good morning," he said.

"Oh no, it's not morning already, is it?" asked Misao, worried that she would have to give him up.

"No, we have a few hours yet," he answered, amused by her reaction.

"Good," she mewed, and snuggled up against him.

"You shouldn't hold me like that. You'll get cold," he cautioned her.

"I don't care," she replied stubbornly. Aoshi let her mold herself against the length of his body, enjoying the strangeness of it. Little Misao… If he spread his fingers, he could span her back with one hand from shoulder to shoulder. In the afterglow of sex, he ignored guilt, and shame. He knew he'd been rough with her, that he should have been gentler for her first time. That, as Okashira, he shouldn't have done it, but he just felt glad, grateful even. Somehow she had crawled under his skin and made a home for herself in his soul when his back was turned. It felt much more natural to have her beside him than to be alone.

Maybe that was why he'd lost himself last night. Aoshi had always considered himself a man in control of himself, master over the darker side of his nature, but when he'd seen that man catch her, and hold her close, and move to kiss her, as if that was something he could just _do_, after all the years Aoshi had taken care of her, cherishing her without even realising it... He had known how Misao had felt about him, of course, but back then, somehow, it hadn't really mattered. He had been the Okashira, and that had been enough. But it was the hurt he'd caused her that had pushed her to Tetsuo. Aoshi had never feared the monster that he knew he could become, but last night it had been those bestial instincts that had stepped forward when his heart couldn't handle its rude awakening. The instinct to claim and possess what was his, by force if necessary, was the only emotion he could remember up until the moment he had her beneath him. He shuddered as he imagined how different this morning after could have been had she not loved him to begin with. The terrifying truth was he would have taken her even if she hadn't wanted him to, the beast he had become would have made it rape, and right now he wouldn't have her head resting lovingly on his shoulder or her fingers playing lightly over his chest. He held her tighter to him and offered a prayer of thanks to whoever was responsible..

"So what happens now?" asked his angel after a moment.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Have you changed your mind about initiating me?" she said. Misao was comfortable next to him, but an old fear wormed its way back into her heart when he failed to answer. She looked up at him and saw he was watching her with a pained expression.

"No," he answered. Misao hadn't realised how relaxed he had been, but the difference was jarring when she heard his old, sheltered voice again. He was blocking her out. He slid out of her embrace to the edge of the bed and started to get dressed. She sat up, covering herself with the sheet.

"What?" Misao sounded small and hurt even to herself.

"That is something I cannot do," he said, buckling his trousers. Misao pulled her knees up and turned away from him.

"I see," she said, "Then it's true."

"What is?" Aoshi twisted to look at her.

"That when a man says he loves you during sex he doesn't necessarily mean it."

"You can't possibly believe that." Aoshi's voice was still carefully low, but it hinted at worry and his eyes were hurt. Misao didn't answer him. "Misao…" he reached for her, but she shrugged him off and looked away from him, not wanting him to see her cry.

"What should I believe, Aoshi? I'm not good enough to join the Oniwabanshuu, just good enough to sleep with?! Like your prostitute?!" Her words shot like darts past every barrier he had straight to his heart and buried their wounding barbs deep. "You tell me you don't want me, but you won't let have anyone else have me either. So you change your mind and kidnap me, tell me you love me, but that you don't want to be with me. You take away my hopes and dreams, then dangle them in front of me like a carrot on a string, only to snatch them away again. If you do love me, how are we supposed to be together? Unlike you, I won't stay this way forever. I'm going to get old, pretty soon I'll be more like your mother than your girlfriend. I won't go through that, Aoshi! I won't!"

"What are you saying?" It was now Aoshi's turn to be afraid.

"If you won't turn me… Well, let's just say you're not the only vampire in town." Misao's mind was made up. She _would_ be with Aoshi.

"You don't know what you're saying. You can't just ask to be turned. Even if they don't just kill you, they'll want to keep you," he said, truly afraid. Misao shrugged as if she didn't care.

"Not forever. I'm willing to wait for as long as it takes to be with you, Aoshi-sama. One way or another."

Misao pulled the sheet around her and got off the bed, leaving Aoshi sitting speechless in her wake. She had just reached the door and pulled it open an inch or two before he appeared next to her, his hand snapping the door closed above her head.

"There's been a review of policy," he said, his face shuttered.

"What?" asked Misao, trying not to be distracted by his naked torso.

"The age of maturity is no longer eighteen. In co-operation with human laws, it has been changed to twenty-one."

"You can't do that," said Misao in shock.

"Why not? I am the Okashira, aren't I?" Aoshi looked down at her, willing her with his eyes to accept his terms.

"So you're going to change me when I turn twenty-one, you promise?" Misao was sceptical but she knew that if Aoshi gave her his word, then it would happen. Aoshi hesitated but eventually he gave in and said,

"Yes, I promise."

Misao squealed and threw her arms around his neck, startling him.

"You're going to have to announce it to the others to make it official," she said.

"I'll do it tonight if you want. But I'm warning you, I fully intend to make as much of your last remaining human years as I can," he added suggestively. Misao slowly slid back down onto her feet.

"That's fine by me, Aoshi-sama," she replied, lowering her voice seductively. Aoshi began bending down to kiss her but her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.

"Maybe we should get you something to eat," he said.

"I'll eat when you're asleep. I fully intend to make as much of your last remaining waking hours as I can," she said, yanking him down forcefully and kissing him.


	12. The Consequences

**Author's note:** In this chapter I tried to write the switch between Rurouni and Battousai using only their thought. Watch out for it. Also, a thousand thanks to my valuable beta, Nebulia!

Chapter 12

Kaoru had been spending a lot of time in the gym. She attacked invisible opponents again and again, kata through kata. When she focused on keeping her movements swift and precise, she escaped thinking about Kenshin. She had managed to slip back into her old routines fairly easily, but anyone who thought she was coping well was sorely mistaken.

Kaoru was angry.

Angry that fate had seen fit to show her what love could be, and then took it away, all in under a fortnight. Sometimes she was angry at Kenshin, but that was a lot harder. Her life stretched out before her like an endless highway with no street lights and no GPS.

Kaoru reached the end of her repertoire and sighed. The room she was in was very much like the dojo downstairs, only smaller and above ground. Her father had taught in this room. She looked around her. She didn't feel like going through all her moves a second time, but she still had an hour or two before her turn in the Akabeko started. Someone from the Dojo would stay in the diner and handle any supernatural business that came through the door, and it usually ended up being her. Or at least, it had been, back when work was the only thing occupying her time.

Taking her bokken with her, she went to stand outside on the balcony. The night air bit into her skin but she bore it gratefully, letting it feed her foul mood. The sky was a beautiful navy expanse over her head, dusted with stars. The moon was a blurred white patch behind thin grey clouds.

She started to shiver and she felt so lonely she could have cried. How could she just go back to her old, empty life as if nothing had happened? There was no way. Looking up at the stars, she thought with all her heart, as if they could hear her,

_Where are you? Don't you know that I need you? Come back, Kenshin, Battousai... anybody._

She kept thinking along these lines for another minute or two, for as long as her fragile heart could stand it, but eventually it had had enough, and she went back inside, casting a last mournful look at the stars.

ooo

Deep in the dark, miserable alleys of Tokyo, a shadow wandered. Drifting through the night, he was hunting. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but his thirst was insatiable of late. It nagged and chipped away at him bit by bit, driving him mad. There was something missing, something he needed, and his shadow laughed at him from over his shoulder.

Kenshin was scared. Battousai had never felt this close in all his years as a Rurouni. He could feel his exhilaration at being awoken and his frustration at being restrained. There were moments when it took everything Kenshin had to keep control and remain himself. He knew well enough what would happen if he didn't, the bloodshed, the monstrosities that would ensue. But what scared Kenshin the most was he could also feel what Battousai wanted. It wasn't to be free, it wasn't to kill and revive his reputation, that was second on the agenda. What Battousai wanted most was evident whenever Kenshin set eyes on a victim.

_Too old._

_Too male._

_Too blond._

_You know what I want, Rurouni…_

The driving thirst turned to revulsion whenever he considered a victim that didn't match Battousai's requirements. Kenshin had taken three victims in two nights. All of them had been young women, an inch or two shorter than him with black hair and blue eyes. As he drank from them, a different face floated before his mind's eye, the one Battousai really wanted. And that was why he was never satisfied, because that was the one person forbidden to him, the one person that no amount of cajoling or psychological warfare could make his better half take.

Kaoru Kamiya.

Her flavour was stained on his pallet and he could still taste her even after the other three. Her voice, calling his name, her desperation... Waking up drowning in her. The memories brushed the fringes of his mind like a lover's fingertips and enticed him closer.

In a moment of strength, the Rurouni had managed to leave her, but the distance between them only made him want her more. He remembered how it felt to have her work her fingers through his long hair as clearly as if her ghost was right there doing it.

They both imagined what they could have done to her. The Rurouni's version involved her eyes full of fear, him watching powerless from behind the hitokiri's eyes, as he drinks his fill from her then tosses her corpse aside, nothing more than a husk to the vibrant person she had been. In the Battousai's version however, the fear in her eyes was as pepper to his steak. Her body would be hot against his, he would take her forcefully, knowing that she couldn't possibly stop him, but slowly. Savouring her, letting her enjoy it, letting her want it.

Making her want _him_, Hitokiri Battousai.

He rolled the old name around on his tongue, revelling in the fear and power it symbolised. Soon, soon the world would have its merciless king of shadows again.

But that damn Rurouni, the concrete ceiling above his head, the iron will he felt all around him that kept him locked away and harmless. The deepest, darkest back corner of Kenshin's mind had been Battousai's home for a hundred years, but now it was if a light had been turned on and he could see for the first time. The evil that was Battousai had been made aware by some unknown force, and it was determined to find a way back to the world.

If only it wasn't for that damn Rurouni.

Kenshin continued his hunt. He heard a girl's voice just around the corner, something about how it wouldn't happen again and that she was sorry, he didn't really care. What mattered to him was that when he rounded the corner and saw her, she was perfect. Petite, black hair pulled back in a ponytail, and though she was submissive by habit, there was a small, stifled spark in her. She was wearing a black waitress's uniform, and the big man she was talking to must have been her boss. Battousai waited until he had gone in before he let the girl see him, and when she did she gasped.

He hid his eyes at first, not trusting them to be able to portray the kindness they would need to for this little ruse to work.

"Excuse me, I heard what that man was saying to you. Are you alright?" he said.

"Er, yeah I'm fine," she said, so innocently. She allowed him to get too close to her and she began to feel uneasy. "If you'd like a seat inside…" she said, gesturing over her shoulder.

"No, I have everything I need right here." When his strange words made her look up at his face he turned the undeniable power of his eyes on her. She stilled and any words she might have spoken died in her throat. She exhaled softly as her mind abandoned her. Kenshin felt the Battousai go quiet in anticipation, and he lowered his mouth to her neck and whispered

"Don't worry. You're safe with me."

He drank until it was time to stop. Battousai growled in frustration, he always preferred to kill his victims. Kenshin carried the girl inside and made sure they called an ambulance, then quickly left unseen. He was already feeling guilty.

As he walked away, he became aware of an urge to go back to the Dojo. He did his best to ignore it but it persisted and grew into a compulsion. He felt _compelled_ to go, to see Kaoru. Could it be that she was hurt? That she needed him?

_Come back,... Battousai..._

He heard Kaoru's voice, whispering and distant, but somehow clear in his mind. And

then something even stranger happened. Battousai began to rise to the surface, but Kenshin wasn't losing control. It was as if he was being pulled forward, leaving the Rurouni behind, fighting. He could feel the Battousai's surprise and faint panic - this was not his doing.

It was in this confused state that his feet began to move and lead him forward towards the source of this magic.

ooo

She headed straight for an unoccupied table away from Tae's counter as soon as she walked through the door. The object was to be alone, to wait out her shift without having to pretend she didn't care that Kenshin had left. She winced as she saw Tae's expression instantly turn to concern when she spotted her. She didn't blame Tae for being worried about her, but she wished she wasn't. Doubtless Megumi had been in here gossiping. Tae hurried to her table.

"Kaoru, how are you?" she asked, trying to sound sensitive while desperately anxious.

"I'm fine, Tae, really. Don't worry about me," Kaoru replied, trying to reassure her friend.

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here," she said. Tae's concern made Kaoru flinch internally, but on the outside she just smiled appreciatively.

The little bell over the door jingled and Tae hurried away. Kaoru sighed in relief. She leant back against the red vinyl seat cushion and traced shapes on the table top. Part of her liked the fact that her friends were worried about her, but she just wished they wouldn't ask her about it. It was too painful. She couldn't explain herself and they couldn't understand. They thought she'd get over it; Kenshin was a vampire after all. But it wasn't like that. Kenshin had taken a part of her with him when he'd left. It was a part she could live without, but not a part she wanted to live without.

The bell jingled again and Kaoru heard steady, confident steps approaching. She looked up just in time to see Saitoh sit down next to her. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the edge of the table. A sure sign he meant business.

"I hear the Battousai left," he started nonchalantly.

"Not you too, please," said Kaoru back to him, voicing what she felt for the first time.

"I have information about Shishio. I've been able to discover what his plans are," he said, mercifully changing the subject.

"Go on." Kaoru knew it was her job to research any threat to the full extent of her power.

"It seems he wants to take over Japan. Create a government with himself at the helm, with vampires as the ruling class, werewolves below them and humans close to slaves. He perceives only two obstacles; the current government, and the Battousai. Once again, Himura's reputation precedes him. Shishio knows that Battousai would never join with him, and considers him strong enough to be a threat, so he's decided to take him out."

Kaoru stomach knotted as Saitoh's news sunk in. She hated the idea of Kenshin alone on the streets against Shishio and his Juppongatana, but there was nothing she could do, she didn't know where he was. The question was, what _could_ she do? Was The Dojo strong enough to take the offensive? Was it at risk? She wouldn't do nothing, but she would need to proceed very carefully.

"Thank you for informing me of this. I will be sure to look into it myself," she said, the formal words acting as a shield, hiding her emotions, spoken without her having to think about it.

Saitoh nodded and was about to leave when something changed. He became more alert, more predatory.

"What is it?" asked Kaoru, her muscles tensing in anticipation. Saitoh's yellow eyes slid round to look at her and a small smile curled his lips.

"The prodigal son returns." he said. Kaoru didn't understand what he meant but she didn't ask because just then the bell over the door jingled and Kenshin walked in.

He stood for a moment in the doorway, taking time as if to look for someone, but he didn't move his head and his eyes were hidden. Kaoru wanted to call out to him but she couldn't find her voice. She just sat motionless staring at him, vaguely aware of how unprofessional she must look to Saitoh. Saitoh however had settled himself across from her so that he looked more comfortable than he had been before.

After standing before the door, Kenshin turned and began to walk towards her. There was something strange about him. He never looked up at her, she never saw his eyes, and his right hand was tensed as if he was about to draw his sword. He walked normally, but no other part of his body moved, he was like something imitating a human, without being one.

As he drew closer, Kaoru stopped wanting to call to him. She noticed people at the tables he passed stare and shrink away from him. She began to feel it to, a danger that scented the air. She knew she didn't need to be afraid of him, but still her skin crawled and she had to force herself to relax. What was going on?

He reached their table and stopped. He stood inches away from Kaoru but didn't speak. At this distance Kaoru could see how healthy he looked. To look like that he would have had to be feeding once or twice every night; that wasn't like him.

"Kenshin?" said Kaoru uncertainly.

"I am here," he said. Kaoru waited for more but Kenshin stopped there, still without showing his eyes.

"Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but why did you come back?" she asked, the atmosphere of warning increasing.

"You called me and I came," he said. His voice was monotonous and dead, not even the phony joviality of the Rurouni was present when he spoke. Kaoru glanced at Saitoh to see if he could offer an explanation for Kenshin's strange behaviour, but he was watching Kenshin with narrowed eyes as if he was considering something.

"There's something different about you, Battousai," he said slowly. "Or rather, something familiar."

Kenshin seemed to ignore him, but his hand twitched towards his sword and he balled it into a fist.

"I wonder…" Saitoh made a sudden movement and Kenshin leapt back at faster than lightning speed and settled a few feet away in a battoujustsu stance. Saitoh chuckled and stood up.

"Kenshin, what's wrong with you?!" cried Kaoru, also getting to her feet. Something was wrong, but Saitoh appeared to be pleased. She didn't like it.

Kenshin didn't answer, he just stayed coiled like a spring, ready to attack.

"Look at his eyes, Kamiya, and you'll see what's 'wrong' with him." said Saitoh. Kaoru turned to Kenshin and looked for his eyes under his unruly hair. When she was able to distinguish them in the shadows, she gasped. Kenshin was keeping his eyes on Saitoh, but occasionally his gaze would flick to her.

But it was their colour that startled her. They weren't their normal large and clear violet selves, now they were malicious and dark, hard and infused with gold. They weren't exactly the Battousai's eyes, but they were a far cry from the Rurouni's.

"Kenshin…" Kaoru took a shaky step towards him, and he took half a step back.

"Stay back, Kaoru-dono." he said, sounding a little more like the Kenshin she remembered.

"Yes, it would be most unfortunate if you got hurt." said Saitoh, obviously trying to goad Kenshin. A cringe moved across Kenshin's face and when he spoke again it was threatening and unfamiliar to Kaoru, getting closer to the voice of Battousai.

"Be careful, Wolf." he growled.

"I think now would be a good time to settle that old score, Battousai." returned Saitoh beside her, unbuttoning his jacket. Meanwhile, Tae had quickly been emptying the diner, and shooing Tsubame into the safety of the back room.

"No!" said Kaoru in alarm. She spun to face Saitoh but it was obvious that he wouldn't listen. He stepped forward and Kenshin tensed again. He slid his katana from it's sheath with a spine-unhinging noise and assumed an offensive position. Although Kaoru had never seen Saitoh fight before, she knew his renowned Gatotsu when she saw it.

"Saitoh, stop this! He's not himself!" Kaoru shouted to the officer in front of her. She desperately wanted to prevent this fight but she didn't know how. At this stage, neither man was considering her as anything more than a potential, if unfortunate, casualty.

Kaoru could feel the air crackling as they tested each other's ki. Saitoh's wolf-spirit and Kenshin's cold vampire power pushed against each other while the two men stood motionless.

Suddenly it changed. Like a spark created when two stones collide, the battle began. They were moving so fast Kaoru could only see them when they came together or were pushing themselves off. When they charged or dodged they were invisible. The air sang with the speed of their swords. Tables were getting tossed or destroyed. Kaoru watched them attack each other with an increasing sense of dread. Sooner or later one of them would land a blow, and when that happened…

They collided and were repelled to opposite ends of the room. Saitoh took the opportunity to spit out a tooth and Kenshin held a wound in his side until it stopped bleeding. He stepped forward and tossed his long hair back and Kaoru was able to see his eyes clearly for the first time. There was no doubt about it this time; Kaoru knew what those eyes meant.

Kenshin had become Hitokiri Battousai once again.

His deadly amber eyes sparkled with want for Saitoh's death. They couldn't be more different from the eyes Kaoru was used to, the Battousai and the Rurouni were truly two different poles of Kenshin's mind. She understood now why Kenshin had been so afraid. He would either finish with Saitoh and move on to the rest of Tokyo, or Saitoh would kill him and she would lose Kenshin for good.

She had to stop this fight.

What happened next took two seconds, maybe less.

Battousai raised his sword, ready to resume the battle and Saitoh did the same.

"Battousai…" Kaoru called to him.

He tensed and leapt at Saitoh.

"…Stop!" She put her everything in that one demand, commanding him, willing him to listen, using every ounce of authority she had garnished through her years at the head of the Dojo.

Battousai dropped from the air like a stone and hit the floor with a painful crack. It had looked like some invisible boulder had fallen and pinned him to the ground mid-leap but there was no account for it. She had said stop and he stopped, but in a way that defied the laws of physics.

Nobody moved. Even Saitoh looked surprised. The sudden silence was oppressive. Battousai didn't try to get up, he lay awkwardly on his back, eyes blazing. Kaoru edged towards him, to talk to him or see if he was alright or _something_ but stopped abruptly when he looked at her.

Battousai's eyes were full of hate and he snarled at her as she stood frozen a few feet away.

"What have you done to me?" he hissed, and Kaoru was so scared she stopped breathing. Her mouth opened and closed but no words came out, she could only shake her head. Kenshin snarled again and thrashed on the floor.

"What is this?!" he roared at her, furious, but also something else. He was so incredibly angry because he was scared. He didn't know what was going on and it terrified him. He wasn't in control of the situation anymore, he was vulnerable, and to him that meant death..

"Well, this is interesting," gloated Saitoh from his position against the wall. "The great Hitokiri Battousai bound to a little human girl."

Kaoru looked at him. "What are talking about?" she asked, barely able to hear her own voice.

"I don't know how you've done it, and I'd love to find out, but you've managed to bind him to you. He does whatever you tell him to."

Kaoru looked back at the stranger on the floor in front of her. Boiling hot fury was radiating out from him, increasing every second.

"You can-"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," interrupted Saitoh.

"Well, keeping him on the floor is not going to improve his mood!" cried Kaoru on the edge of hysterics. How could _she_ control Battousai? Her mind was refusing to consider it. She was going to try testing it. "You can get up now," she said hesitantly to Battousai.

Instantly, she found herself against the wall with the point of his sword against her throat. His demonic eyes were an inch from her, she could see every grain of gold, amber and russet that made up his fiery irises. The black pupils seemed bottomless, and Kaoru felt her knees weaken as she considered their beauty. The look in them was murderous.

"I warned you," said Saitoh, drawing out a cigarette. "Battousai, I don't think there's any point in continuing our little duel if Kamiya there is pulling your strings." He sheathed his word.

Kaoru continued to stare into Battousai's eyes. Her fear was fading away, partly due to their vampire magic, but also because Kaoru just couldn't keep that level of terror up for long. Battousai must have seen the change in her because he leant more on his sword, the point dimpling her skin. Kaoru was starting to be able to read his eyes. Now that they no longer intimidated her, she was able to see the thoughts behind them. Battousai was afraid and unsure, awakened a hundred years from the world he'd left behind into the servitude of a woman he knew to love his other half. He'd enjoyed the fight with Saitoh because it was familiar. But as uncertain as he was, the thing he feared most was going back to the imprisonment, the blind state of suspended animation that the Rurouni could put him in. Now that he was free, he would do anything to stay that way, which was why he was so confused as to why he wasn't killing Kaoru. The more she focused on him, the more she could understand, until she could almost feel his emotions as if they were her own.

The Akabeko door burst open and Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko were suddenly there.

"You…" Sano swore and his hands curled into fists. He started towards them. Kaoru quickly held out a hand to stop him.

"Why don't you lower your sword, Battousai, and we can talk about this," she said steadily.

"You don't rule me, human," Battousai replied, baring his fangs.

"No, I don't doubt that you could kill me and my friends in an instant and we wouldn't be able to stop you. But I'm asking you not to. It seems I could order you to, but I'm asking. Will you please lower your sword?" she said evenly.

Second after second passed, but finally Battousai eased off and lowered his sword. Megumi ran to Kaoru's side but she waved her off.

"I'm alright, Megumi," she said, keeping her eyes on Battousai.

"Is that who I think it is?" she whispered conspiritorily.

"Yes, that is Hitokiri Battousai. It seems that we have a situation on our hands."

"What is it?" asked Megumi, looking worried.

"The raccoon girl has somehow managed to bind Battousai to her," volunteered Saitoh.

"I don't understand." said Megumi.

"No, I don't think anyone here does, but I suggest we get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

"I agree. Why don't we all go into the back room and see what we can find out?" said Kaoru. They all started walking to the big room used for conferences like that with the Oniwabanshuu, but stopped when they heard the sakabatou clatter to the floor.

Battousai had his head in his hands and looked unbalanced. He collapsed forward onto his knees. Kaoru ran to his side, Sano's attempt to stop her only grazing her sleeve. She knelt next to him and tentatively put her hand on his shoulder. He was shaking, but with his vampire muscles it felt more like he was vibrating. "What's wrong?" she asked. A second went by before he answered.

"Everything, Kaoru-dono. Everything."


	13. The Explanation

Chapter 13

Kenshin felt very much like a science experiment. He was sitting at the table but everyone else was standing up, looking at him, bouncing theories off each other without finding any answers. Kaoru paced back and forth, sometimes staring at him and sometimes avoiding him completely. Only Saitoh was quiet, leaning calmly against the wall, cigarette poised between his fingers. Occasionally he would smile, still amused by the idea of Hitokiri Battousai being bound by some 21st century girl.

Kenshin was glad of the distraction, though. He had his own emotions to deal with. There was no denying now that Battousai had returned, although no-one had been hurt yet. He was also back at the Dojo, back with Kaoru, and that was having an effect on him. Then there was the fact that Battousai had relinquished control back to him voluntarily, something he had never done. He'd done it because he knew he was not the best personality for discussion, hated and feared as he was, and because he didn't want to be the one to think about the implications of being bound to Kaoru. So Battousai would take a back seat for now.

The door opened and Tokio walked in.

"Tokio! What are you doing here?" said Kaoru in surprise.

"I called her. She's the closest thing we have to an expert on ki and therefore is the most likely person to be able to help us," said Saitoh.

"Thank you, Saitoh," said Tokio professionally. "Now tell me, what happened?"

"Kamiya has somehow bound the Battousai to herself," answered Saitoh.

"Kaoru?" Tokio turned to her. "Let's start with how you found this out, with as much detail as possible."

"Kenshin - I mean, Battousai and Saitoh were fighting," Something flickered across Tokio's face but it vanished too quickly to be read. "And I shouted to him to stop and he just dropped out of the air. He couldn't even get up until I told him to."

"I see," said the witch, nodding, an idea obviously forming in her head. "And it's my understanding that Kenshin has been away for a number of days, did he only return tonight?"

"Yes," replied Kaoru.

"Why?" Everyone turned back to Kenshin, waiting for him to provide an answer.

"I heard her voice, in my mind. She said 'Come back, Battousai', and I couldn't help myself. I had to go. I thought- I thought maybe she was in danger," he said. The whole time they had been conferring he had kept his eyes hidden beneath a curtain of red hair, and now even more so.

"Kaoru, did you call him?" asked Tokio.

"No… I mean, I was thinking about him."

"Well, did you think 'Come back Battousai'?" Tokio said sounding a bit patronising. Kaoru began to feel hideously embarrassed.

"I might have."

"Well there you go then. You two are definitely bound to each other if Kenshin can hear your thoughts. The only question now is how. Maybe you'd like to tell me how you got that wound on your wrist?" she said, nodding to Kaoru's bandages. Megumi made an angry sound.

"I knew it was bad that you let him feed off you, Kaoru. Now look!" she said.

"Even if Kenshin did feed from her, that alone shouldn't have bound him, or he would be bound to hundreds of people by now. There must be more to it," said Tokio, undermining Megumi.

"Whenever I've heard of vampires being bound to their victims before, it was always in cases where the victim 'called them to life', as it were. If the Battousai had been dying, and Kamiya gave him her wrist in order to save his life, and called him by name, those are the only circumstances which would have …" Saitoh trailed off as he saw the horrified realisation on Kaoru's face as she and Kenshin exchanged looks.

"Kaoru? Is that what happened?" asked Tokio in amused awe.

"I didn't mean to bind him to me, I just didn't want him to die!" she said, trying to explain. Saitoh burst out in rare and uncharacteristicly raucous peals of laughter.

"Only you could bind the Battousai by accident!" he said.

"It's interesting though that only Battousai replies to your commands…" Tokio mused, fighting her own smile.

"Well, 'Kenshin' wasn't working and I remembered that he'd told me that Battousai was the personification of his vampire nature, so I tried that instead and it worked," Kaoru continued, frantically making excuses as Saitoh tried to overcome his chuckling. Kenshin was staring at her. He looked oddly angry and disappointed. So, it was her fault that his worst nightmare was now reality, that the Battousai was coming back. Could he blame her for that when she was only trying to save his life?

"Okay then, so now we know how it happened, all that's left is finding out how to fix it," said Tokio, trying to move them on and save Saitoh from his hysterics. "What did the other vampires do, Saitoh?"

"Truth be told, it was more often a witch or some other supernatural being that bound them, but in the only cases that I've heard of involving a human, the vampire freed himself by killing them. If Battousai drinks from Kamiya and kills her, the bond will be broken and he will be free." Kaoru was slightly hurt by the carefree manner in which he spoke of her demise, but she didn't know why she expected anything different from him. Sano growled low in his chest. Kenshin, however, looked horrified and disgusted by the suggestion.

"I would _never_ do such a thing!" he swore fiercely.

"Have it your way," was Saitoh's unaffected reply.

"I can try to find another way to sever the bonding, but it might take a while and I'm not making any promises. Your two ki are linked now, it will be difficult to separate them safely," offered Tokio.

"Yes, wolves have been known to die or go insane after the death of their mate," said Saitoh, suddenly more solemn.

"For now, I suggest that Kenshin stays with us while we figure this out, to make things easier." When she said 'us', everyone knew she meant Kaoru, and Sano frowned again.

"Okay. I was thinking of turning in early anyway," Kaoru said. Kenshin stood up and waited for Kaoru to lead the way.

As they walked along back to the Dojo, Kenshin stayed silent and closed off, walking a step or two behind Kaoru. Eventually, she had to ask.

"Are you angry with me, Kenshin? I am sorry that I called you back, you know I never meant to bind you to me," she said.

"I am not angry, Kaoru-dono. I am perhaps a little frustrated. I had hoped that you would never meet Battousai, and to find out that you willingly summoned him… I know that you only did it to save my life and for that I am grateful, but it does mean that I will have to work even harder to keep you safe."

Kaoru thought about that. She would be sharing her apartment with the most infamous vampire in history, a bloodthirsty monster who would have no qualms about killing her. She was sure Battousai would not be so cavalier about being bound to her.

"Should I be afraid?" she asked quietly after a moment. Kenshin stopped walking and took her hand, turning her around to look at him properly. He put his hand on her cheek and tilted her face upwards to meet his eyes. For a moment, Kaoru thought he was going to kiss her, but then he began to speak.

"Kaoru-dono, I swear to you, as long as I live, I will never hurt you, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. That said, I want you to promise me something in return. Promise me that you will not hesitate to use your power over Battousai, promise me that you will protect yourself and not put yourself in danger for me," he said earnestly, trying to convey to her his fear.

"I promise, Kenshin," she said. Although she had far from forgotten what it felt like to be in his arms, memories could never compare to the full effect of his amethyst eyes. Kenshin selfishly let his hand linger on her cheek for a second longer before removing it and saying,

"It is cold. You should be inside," and they continued their way back to the Dojo.

It was back in Kaoru's apartment that Battousai made a bid for control. It was easier the second time, as if the path had been cleared. Kaoru had taken off her coat and was moving around the apartment when the colour of Kenshin's eyes changed and Battousai was there. He moved up silently behind her and spun her around, making her gasp. His fiercely burning amber eyes made Kaoru's heart race. They completely altered the tone of his face. His red hair became like the warning colours on a poisonous insect, and he looked truly deadly. And yet, he was still beautiful.

He wasn't looking at her like he wanted to kill her. Kaoru supposed he must feel safe, alone in the apartment except for her, who posed no threat to him whatsoever. Looking up at his eyes as they watched her, Kaoru tried to find what it was that was special about them. Then she realised; they were totally unique. Nothing else on the planet had eyes like that. Humans had human eyes, old wolves like Saitoh had eyes that could be described as lupine, she'd known an old warlock with eyes like a snake, but they were all human eyes, even Kenshin's violet eyes had looked normal but for their colour… But these, these were _vampire_ eyes, free from every lingering shred of humanity that other vampire possessed. Battousai was a species unto himself, and his eyes reflected his alien-ness.

These unique eyes set into an expressionless face were tightened with curiosity. No, not curiosity. Suspicion. He didn't understand her actions and that could only mean that they were false, and that she had an ulterior motive for accepting him into her home. He stared down at her as if trying to intimidate her into giving something away.

"What can I expect from you?" he asked eventually in a low voice. His voice startled her, it was so different from the voice she knew. It was deep and unforgiving, but with an intelligent timbre to it. It took Kaoru a second to realise she was expected to answer, and then another to think of how to reply.

"For the moment, all I can offer you is a place to stay, and a person who won't necessarily run screaming."

"That is of no consequence to me. Perhaps I should have asked, Why are you doing this?" He made it clear that he held nothing but contempt for her, and was only wasting his time talking to her to get the answers he was looking for. If she did not provide said answers quickly enough, the conversation would be over.

"Doing what?" She didn't want to push him, but she wanted to get it right.

"This," He gestured vaguely at the room around them. "Why do you allow me into your home? Why are you not afraid of me?" The more Kaoru listened to his rich, full voice, the more she wanted to hear.

"Oh, I... I _am_ afraid of you. But you're my responsibility, since I'm the one who… you know. " It was ridiculous, but she found that she couldn't talk to this man about what had happened. The way she'd summoned him and bound him to her. It seemed embarrassing. Too intimate to be discussed like this. His cold, unfeeling eyes stared her down and made her feel like a child.

"So you accept me out of duty," Battousai tried to clarify. The way he said it made it sound like a bad thing, even though his voice stayed perfectly emotionless.

"Well, I mean, I'd rather you were here with me, than somewhere else, killing people," Kaoru elaborated, hoping Battousai recognised his disregard for human life as fact and would not be offended.

"Why do you think I would be less inclined to kill in your presence? Staying with you, it would only be you and your friends that would die. Why do you prefer that to the deaths of strangers?" Battousai's voice held a certain lilt that hinted that he was teasing her, calling her out.

"A number of reasons, really. For one, there's a chance I could stop you, if you didn't kill me first. Second, I want Kenshin, the Rurouni, to stay with me again. But mostly, and I realise now that it's stupid of me to believe this, but for some reason, I just don't think you'll hurt them."

"You… have faith in me, is that what you're saying?" He said the words as if they actually caused him pain.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Kaoru said. Battousai's eyes widened a fraction of a fraction in surprise, then tightened again as his suspicious nature reasserted itself. Kaoru couldn't contain a yawn, and he took a step back away from her.

"Go to bed, Kaoru, and sleep. I will not do anything you will disapprove of," he added when she hesitated. Kaoru turned to her bedroom, embarrassed at being caught out. Just before she crossed the threshold, she heard his voice behind her say,

"The Rurouni will be there when you wake."

Kaoru looked at him but he had his back to her.

As she undressed for bed, she replayed his last lines in her mind, especially the part when he had said her name. He made it sound elegant, special, beautiful. Without the '-dono' honorific, it rolled off his tongue like a lover's promise. Alone, she let herself smile at it, before catching herself. What was she doing, going all soft over Hitokiri Battousai? But the she reasoned that she, as a woman, could appreciate him, as a man, without it having to mean anything.

He had also promised that he would be back to Kenshin in the morning, and this whole confused mess would start over again. It was interesting that Battousai should ever return to his confinement voluntarily.

When Kaoru had wished for Kenshin to return, she'd wanted things to go back to the way they were. Now he was here, it was clear they could never be the same way again. They'd reached a crossroads; Battousai would either defeat the Rurouni and revive his reign of fear and bloodshed, in which case Kaoru would be the one to challenge him, of that she was sure, or he wouldn't. The latter was the more misted path. Kaoru couldn't see what would happen if the Rurouni won out.

Shishio still hung over their heads like gathering clouds and it was only a matter of time before the storm broke. If Kenshin was the only one who could defeat Shishio, what part would Battousai play? Would he be a help or a hindrance? Either way, that sword was going to fall, and Kaoru knew that if and when they came out on the other side, things would be different.

For better or for worse.


	14. The Full Moon

Chapter 14

Waking up to a new night, Kaoru lay still, weighted down by nervous anticipation. Last night, Kenshin the Rurouni had well and truly left the building, and she'd actually had a conversation with Hitokiri Battousai, undoubtedly the first person to do so in a hundred years. But what man was it beside her with his arm draped lazily over her waist? Her bedfellow was still dead to the world; she could tell by the colour and generally skeletal look of the hand she could see. But which persona would he be when he awoke? Battousai had assured her the Rurouni, but… She dared not roll over to face him. Instead she continued to lie on her side, her hands folded under her head, her eyes open and her breathing carefully even.

Even if he was the Rurouni when he woke up, what kind of a mood would he be in? He may very well declare himself too dangerous to be around and insist on leaving again, and though she _could_ call him back, she wouldn't. That would feel too much like yanking a dog's leash; she wouldn't to force him that way. And how did his arm get around her waist, anyway? He didn't move in his 'sleep' the way humans did, so had Battousai deliberately put it there? Why? Because he wanted to? Or to make the Rurouni feel awkward when he awoke in his place?

Kaoru looked at his withered hand again. It didn't really bother her; if you love someone, you accept them, even if they do resemble a mummified corpse when they're asleep. Hey, at least he didn't snore, right? Kaoru moved one of her hands down from her pillow and took hold of Kenshin's. It was colder than hers, but not as icy as she'd expected. A couple of degrees below room temperature, maybe. It felt as if there were no flesh or muscles under the skin. It was like sticks and paper, the pads of his palm like really old sponge, but she could feel the solid, unbreakable quality to it. She would have cherished that moment if she knew that Kenshin had held her in her sleep because he loved her, but she thought that was the most unlikely reason it was there. She moved her hand back to where it had been under her head and returned to her considerations.

The arm convulsed suddenly, and Kaoru could almost see the life flow back into that hand. He was awake. Kaoru continued to lie still, but she left her eyes open. He had not taken his arm away. She counted the seconds go by. Finally, she was aware of movement behind her as he pushed himself up on his arm. The other arm, which was still resting on Kaoru's waist, slid forward to support him as he looked at her. With one of his arms on either side of her, she was effectively trapped. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She was relieved to see a familiar purple watching her. She would let him speak first.

"Kaoru-dono?" he said in his soft, melodious voice.

"Yes, Kenshin?" she replied as non-descriptively as she could.

"What happened last night?"

"Nothing happened. Battousai was very good."

Kenshin seemed to hesitate over something.

"Why was my arm around you?" There was a strange uncertainty in his voice, an awkward jealousy, or embarrassed suspicion.

"I was hoping you'd know."

"Oh." was all he said back to her. He continued to ponder this, his eyes moving as though he were reading something inside himself. Kaoru grew uncomfortable and rolled onto her back.

She suddenly recognised what an intimate position they were in. Her lying on her back, the bedclothes down at her hips, her hair pooled around her face. Him leaning over her, his arms forming a sweetheart's cage around her. Once again, she tentatively touched his hand, bringing him out of his introspection. Now his eyes questioned her, confused by the look he saw on her face and in the deep sea of her eyes. She didn't speak, she just stroked her fingertips across his hand, tried to put as much sex and emotion into her eyes as her inexperience would allow, and let him figure it out.

When he continued to be blind to her advances, she shifted her hips slightly, bringing them more out of the covers, and she got the desired result when his eyes involuntarily flicked to the movement. She also relocated her lightly-stroking fingertips from the back of his hand to the inside of his wrist. This time, as his eyes returned to her face, they moved slowly up her body, and when he met her gaze again, there was something other than confusion visible in them.

"Kaoru-dono?" he said, his voice ever-so-slightly huskier.

"Yes, Kenshin?" Her voice was low and sincere, intimate.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eye line returning to her body. She was glad she was wearing the pyjamas that gave him something to look at. She inhaled heavily but silently, making her breasts strain against the fabric for a second. Kenshin's eyes flicked back to her face as if he had noticed, but hadn't wanted to.

However, his question had frustrated her. How much further did she have to go before he would get the hint? What was he anyway, a monk? No monk would have behaved the way he had Friday night. Since hitting him didn't seem like the most seductive course of action, she lifted herself up onto her hands, bringing her much closer to him, and she whispered in his ear,

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to get you to kiss me."

There, she'd said it. If he rejected her now, that was it. It was that embarrassment that kept her cheek to cheek with him, avoiding his gaze. But then slowly he turned his face to look at her, and she was forced to meet his eyes. They were so close together, an eager breath and they would be touching,

_He's not going to do it,_ she thought, _He's thinking of a way to let me down easy._

But then she saw Kenshin's eyes flick to her lips and back again, and suddenly his tense body language took on a whole new meaning.

Kaoru closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. In less than a second he was kissing her back. She slowly lay back down on the bed and he followed her, keeping the kiss unbroken. She revelled in the weight of his body. He supported himself with his elbow, his hand resting above her head, while the other one sought her waist. She loosely wrapped both arms around his neck. His nose brushed hers and her heart gave a little jump. She had to force herself not to smile in her pure, simple happiness.

This wasn't the same desperate, fevered kiss of last Friday. They weren't attacking each other; they were just kissing, almost like any other couple. Of course, to Kaoru, it was still one hundred per cent unique. Just knowing what his lips felt like turned her heart into a diamond of love for him.

Suddenly, something changed. Kenshin's weight shifted, he began kissing her harder, more deeply and more franticly. The whole tone of his body became more like that of last Friday, more... ferocious. He broke away abruptly and he tried to hide his face as he slowed his breathing and tried to reign himself in. Concerned, Kaoru forcibly turned his head to see into his eyes. There was no dismissing the shards of amber there.

"What's wrong?" she asked nevertheless. He looked angry.

"I can never be what you need, Kaoru-dono. This is wrong. I could hurt you very easily," he said.

"But you won't. I know you won't. Don't talk like that, like you're going to leave me again."

The fear in her eyes was a knife in his heart. He softened, and then sighed. He lovingly brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

"If I was stronger I'd be able to resist you and do the right thing."

"Does that mean you'll stay?" she said.

"I thought we had already decided that," Kenshin replied.

"I know but I meant stay… with me. Be my…" she trailed off. The word 'boyfriend' just could not be applied here. He entangled his fingers with hers.

"If I can be anyone's, Kaoru-dono, I am yours, even if I do not understand why you would want that," he said, a light frown creating a single crease between his eyebrows.

"I'm not going to try to explain why I love you. You'll just have to accept that I do," she replied. Kenshin gave a small huff of a laugh and smiled.

"I have spent over two hundred years predicting the actions of others. I have bet my life on my calculations many times, and I had come to think I was quite good at it, but you always manage to surprise me. First you discover that I am a vampire, and instead of casting me out onto the street, you invite me to stay. Then, your friends reveal my past as Battousai, and you beg me not to leave. A week ago, I come within seconds of biting you, possibly killing you, and your only complaint is that I threw you to safety too hard. Next, I do bite you, and almost kill you, and when I apologise, you tell me I'm being arrogant. Now Battousai has returned, and instead of being afraid, you share your bed. I don't think I'll ever understand you, Kaoru-dono." he said, finishing with a sigh.

"Yeah, well, love makes you do crazy things," she said.

"That it does," Kenshin agreed, looking down at their mingling fingers.

Another night, another shift. The Akabeko had long been a second home to Kaoru. Kenshin had been greeted with degrees of welcome ranging from open loathing, to cold indifference, to impersonal disapproval, but no one could argue with the perpetual grin Kaoru was wearing in response to their newly confirmed 'in love' status. Kenshin had bowed to Tae, hands clasped in front of him, as soon as they'd walked in and apologised for wrecking her diner. She'd accepted sullenly, telling him it was lucky they kept spare furniture in the storage room. In fact, you could hardly tell that two of the most powerful supernatural beings in Japanese history had gone head to head just by looking around. A lick of paint here and there, some new tiles, and the Akabeko would be good as new, and Kenshin promised he would help with the redecorating.

Now the couple sat at a booth near the middle, talking quietly to each other. Kenshin was allowing Kaoru to play with his arm, testing and examining his vampire skin and muscle, tracing lines with her nails. It tickled pleasantly, and when Kaoru started on his hand, he decided to have some fun of his own. Just as she slowly stroked his index finger, he used every ounce of his exceptional vampire speed to snatch his hand away and seize hers. He smiled in a predatory way when she jumped and squeaked adorably. He held her eyes as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it like a gentleman. She gave a nervous little laugh when he grinned, inadvertently baring his fangs to her.

"Sickening, Battousai," said a cold and humourless voice. They looked up, but Kenshin didn't let go of Kaoru's hand.

"Hello, Saitoh," he said, refusing to be embarrassed.

"I see you're back to your old self again. Shame," he said, sounding generally disappointed.

"What are you doing here, Saitoh? Isn't it the full moon tonight?" asked Kaoru. The old wolf got a scarily eager glint in his eyes and he smiled at the memory of full moons passed and at the opportunities of full moons yet to come.

"Yes," he purred, if a wolf can purr, "But I just thought I would stop by and see if Battousai had killed you yet. I was curious to find out what had happened last night, but now I think I'd rather not know," he explained, with an expression of mild disgust that he didn't bother hiding. Nevertheless, Kaoru's grin was back in place.

The little bell over the door rang, distracting them. Sano walked in, and went straight for the counter to talk to Tae. He looked tense. In her new found happiness, Kaoru regretted that he had been angry with her, and decided to try and smooth things over with him. She excused herself from Kenshin and Saitoh, trusting them not to start fighting again, and walked over to him.

"Hey, Sano," she said cheerfully.

"Hey, Jou-chan," he replied, giving her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "You seem happy tonight. That's good."

"Yeah, well…" She glanced over her shoulder at Kenshin and Sano followed.

"Oh," he said, his expression darkening. He turned away from her and muttered something that sounded like 'unbelievable'. Kaoru wasn't going to call him on it anyway, but as he turned away, he inadvertently exposed a huge, purple bruise sprawled on his neck.

"Oh my god, Sano, what happened to you?" she said.

"Huh? Oh, er, that's nothing, you know… You should see the other guy," he tried for a boastful grin, but he'd never been a good liar.

"Sano, have you been taking jobs again?" Kaoru asked, referring to his fighter-for-hire days, and his agreement to give them up.

"No, this was… something else. A favour, to a friend." Although Kaoru didn't believe him, she let it go. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that. I'm getting close to something big." Slowly, an old smile that Kaoru recognised crept onto his face. His you-know-you-love-me-and-want-to-feed-me smile. She would gladly pay for his every meal for a fortnight if it would make him any happier. And with Sano, it just might. She found herself smiling back.

"You've been working?" she asked, putting up token resistance.

"Like a dog," Sano replied eagerly.

"What a fitting expression." Kaoru looked up and saw Saitoh walking towards them. Sano had also seen him, and immediately drew himself up to his full height, his eyes narrowed. Kaoru sighed internally.

"Do you have to eavesdrop on people and sneak around like that?" she asked, trying to distract him. Sano and Saitoh were a powder-keg ready to blow. It was the old Hereditary werewolves vs Infected werewolves feud, and nothing set Sano off as quickly.

"Begging for food again, I see. Just like the mongrel dog you are," said Saitoh, ignoring Kaoru. She wasn't sure whether he genuinely hated Sano, or whether he just insulted him like this because he knew how it got to him.

"That's rich, coming from an abandoned stray like you. Tell me, how long are you going to keep up this one-man-pack routine before you just admit that you're no less of a mutt than I am? Pedigree doesn't mean much when no-one's paying for a collar." Both men cut each other to the bone with their words, mercilessly digging for their opponents greatest insecurities. Saitoh narrowed his eyes,

"At least I am my own master. These humans have you leashed and muzzled like an misbehaving puppy. Are the free meals worth what little dignity you had?"

Done with words, Sano growled at him. It seemed so strange that such a sound could come from a human, but of course Sano wasn't human. Hackles raised, he vibrated with a terrifying, menacing rumble that was enough to make anyone think twice. Saitoh looked as though he was trying to glare Sano into submission.

"Hey, no fighting you two," said Kaoru, stepping forward but knowing well enough that if they chose to attack, it wouldn't matter if she was between them or not.

Kenshin approached and stood next to her, unobtrusive but ready to intervene if he had to.

A jangle of the bell alerted them all to Megumi's entrance. Seeing them all gathered there, she came over.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking at the faces around her. They hesitated to tell her, but eventually something gave and Sano relaxed.

"Nothing. I was just leaving. Places to go, people to see, that sort of thing." He kept his eyes confidently averted as he shouldered past her and walked out into the all-encompassing blackness of the freezing winter night.

Saitoh gave a small snort and left too without excusing himself. Megumi looked back at Kaoru and Kenshin with an expression of surprise and confusion.

"Was it something I said?"

Hours later, the night, and blissfully Kaoru's shift, was coming to an end. Kaoru, Kenshin and Megumi had spent the time making polite conversation, if you could call a barrage of questions about a certain person's inhuman physiology polite, inside the warmth of the Akabeko. The night had been calm and uneventful. Whatever Shishio was doing, he was doing it quietly. Not a single person had come through that door looking for more than a hot meal and a cup of coffee.

Tae trotted over worn out and ready for bed, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Can I get y'all anything else?" she asked politely.

"No thanks, Tae, we'll be going soon," Kaoru told her. Her friend nodded and began piling their cups and other crockery onto a tray, which she promptly dropped as soon as she tried to carry it.

"Oh, butterfingers!" she cursed, kneeling down to pick up the shards. The others joined her, scooting around on all fours making sure to get every last chip so that no-one would hurt themselves. Megumi had one hand full of glass and two halves of a cup in the other, but as she moved to stand up, she stood on the hem of her lab-coat, causing her to pitch forward. Having to make the decision in a second, she thrust out the hand with the glass in to save herself, keeping her fingers tensed to avoid crushing the pieces into her palm. None of them broke, though she couldn't avoid dozens of little cuts. She swore.

"Oh, Megumi, are you alright?!" cried Tae, who saw what happened.

"I'm fine, they're not deep. They look worse than they are." replied the fiercely independent Megumi, unnecessarily strong at the best of times.

"Let's get you a towel." she said, rushing off into the kitchen.

"Thank you." said Megumi, following her. Kaoru and Kenshin collected the last of the debris and stood up. It was this seemingly peaceful scene that was interrupted when a man, wearing only a pair of jeans, crashed through the entrance carrying a colossal, chocolate-brown wolf.

"Help!" he called frantically to the mainly deserted diner.

"Katsu!" Kaoru cried, drawing his attention. She had only met him once or twice in all her years as head of the Dojo, but she recognised his straight, greenish-black hair. She knew him to be Sano's best friend, and the only other survivor of the Sekihoutai.

The man spun towards her voice, and hurried over. He laid the giant wolf on the nearest table, where it struggle to sit upright, barely having enough room it was so big. Its front right leg was horrifically mangled and covered in blood, some of which was drying on Katsu's chest.

Kaoru recognised that wolf and all the feeling drained out of her through her feet.

"It's Sano, I found him like this out in the woods a couple miles away. I came straight here." Assuming from his state of undress, when he had found him, Katsu had been in wolf form, and had only taken the time needed for trousers. He wasn't even wearing shoes, and he must have ran the whole way.

"Sano, are you alright?" Kaoru asked, afraid to touch him and make his leg worse. The wolf gave an angry snort, as if to say 'Of course, but how inconvenient.'

"Who would do this to him?" Katsu growled. Kaoru had never seen him angry before; he had always been very kind and easy-going. Now she was seeing the powerful wolf in him.

"He'll heal, won't he?" she said, appalled. She wanted so badly to touch him, just to make sure he was there, still alright, still warm and breathing. Afraid to touch him anywhere else, she tentatively laid her hand on his left flank, and Sano let her do it. Somehow, she could feel that this was Sano, and she relaxed as she buried her fingertips in his warm fur. She had seen Sano in wolf-form several times before, when fighting or at the full moon. When they'd first met when she was still a teenager, he used to leave a room as a man and re-enter as a wolf, just to spook her. He had a certain pride in his gift, a touchiness that was forever ready to defend against any slander.

Katsu was looking at Kaoru painfully.

"Kaoru," he said. "The bones have been broken. He can't stay in wolf form long enough to heal them. Unless we do something, and soon, he'll change back into Sano and he'll have forever lost the use of his arm."

Kaoru looked back at the senselessly large wolf on the table at her elbow. Sano was hanging his head, he obviously knew what they were saying. If Sano lost the use of his arm… Fighting was all Sano had, the only thing he thought he was good at, great even. Breaking his arm hadn't just been a message, it had been a sadistic act of cruelty. An image of the maimed and deformed limb he would be left with when his human body healed misplaced wolf-bones flashed in her head.

"Megumi!" Kaoru screamed for the doctor, who came rushing from the back room, took one look at the scene in front of her, and immediately took charge. She stalked over, shoved Kaoru out of the way and took Sano's injured paw in her hand. Katsu began filling her in as Tae arrived next to them.

"How long do we have until he changes back?" she snapped authoritatively. Katsu looked toward the window and went still for a moment. He was feeling the moon.

"Not long, twenty, twenty-five minutes maybe," he answered. During a full moon, the wolves had to change, but they could change back whenever they wanted. But just as there would a come a time when they would transform whether they wanted to or not, so was there such a time for returning to human form.

"It'll have to be done here then. At least we don't have to worry about infection. I'm going to try to reset the bones. It's our best shot." Sano presented his twisted leg and looked away in a very human gesture.

"But Megumi, your hand," interrupted Tae. Megumi turned her hand palm up, exposing the cuts from the glass. "If his blood touches those cuts, you'll become a werewolf too."

For one dreadful, suspended moment, Megumi just looked at her hand, not giving anything away on her face. But then she balled it into a fist and turned back towards Sano.

"It's the only way," she said darkly. She moved to take Sano's paw, but Sano had understood too much. He skitted away from her across the table.

"Sano," she sighed, trying to get him to come back to her. "I have to."

Sano just growled softly, a warning to her, not the same threat he had given Saitoh earlier. This was just a 'No', it wasn't meant to terrify her.

"Katsu, can you get him?" asked Megumi. Katsu was willing to allow her to become infected if it meant Sano would recover. He recognised that it was Megumi's choice, and they were fresh out of options. He slowly moved around the table towards Sano, hands out innocently, but Sano just growled louder and more fiercely at him, inching away. Katsu dived, hoping to surprise him and manage to grab him, but Sano leapt from the table and hobbled quickly away.

"Ken-san?" said Megumi, enlisting the other man in the room, who also happened to possess a supernatural strength. Together the three of them advanced on Sano, who retreated, hackles raised. Under any normal circumstances, a wolf that size would have emptied the room, but they knew he wouldn't attack them, he just wouldn't let Megumi near enough to become infected.

They had him cornered. Every few seconds he would snap at their hands, but otherwise all he could do was growl. As they got nearer, he made a last ditch effort to escape them by charging them, hoping to slip past, but the two men got him.

"Tae! Get me toothpicks and thread!" ordered Megumi, kneeling where Kenshin and Katsu held Sano. Once they had him pinned, he thrashed fiercely, bucking and wriggling, making it impossible for Megumi to work on him.

"Sano, stop being so childish about this!" she admonished, her voice breaking and giving away her panic. Their time was ticking away and, like it or not, she loved this man. She and the stubborn wolf before her were the only two who knew how badly she wanted just to hold him in his pain and cry into his fur.

But he just twisted his head around and snapped at her hands when they got too close. It was truly a testament to his strength if a fellow wolf and a vampire combined couldn't keep him pinned, and when he was injured into the bargain.

The little bell over the door rang and a blast of cold hit them.

Kaoru was the only one who could afford to look up and see who it was, and when she did she wasn't sure whether she felt better or not. Saitoh was the closest thing Sano had to a mortal enemy, but on the other hand he was strong enough to help them. He heard the commotion and came towards them. He was smoking, most likely chain-smoking, and was looking very relaxed and satisfied with however he'd spent his night.

"Saitoh! Help us hold Sano down," implored Kaoru, making her decision. The man stood, looking down at the thrashing wolf at his feet with an expression that was almost bored, and blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Why don't you just knock him out and be done with it?" he said.

"No! If he loses consciousness he'll change back," answered Katsu before Saitoh could move.

"So?"

"So, look at his arm!" Saitoh's unusual yellow eyes slowly roved to Sano's injured leg. The seriousness of the situation must have filtered through his languor because he ground his cigarette out with his shoe and knelt to help them.

Having Saitoh's hands on him did not improve Sano's mood, but with the three of them, Katsu holding his head, shoulders and left foreleg, Saitoh leaning on his middle and keeping the injured leg within Megumi's reach, and Kenshin pinning his hips, kneeling on his tail, and trapping his hind legs, Sano was immobilised. As Megumi shuffled forward to begin rearranging the bones in his leg, all Sano could do was howl, bark and continue growling, which he committed himself to admirably.

To rework the delicate structure of his leg, Megumi had to push her fingers into the wound and feel her way. Kaoru could not imagine how much pain Sano must have been in, and indeed he thrashed and whined, but eventually a strange, suffering quiet came over him and he lay still, not making a sound. In a way, it was sort of worse.

Using the toothpicks and thread as miniature splints tied around the bones themselves, Megumi was able to repair the leg to a degree that Sano could change back into a human safely. As soon as she finished, she pulled her bloody fingers away and wrapped them around his thick neck. She buried her face in his fur, allowing herself to cry for her lover, and the others gave her privacy. Although they hadn't been told, it was obvious that there was more to these two than just friends.

The rhythm of his breathing became faster and more erratic, and the flesh, muscle and bone beneath her hands began to twitch and convulse. She kept her hold on him as he changed, throwing her lab-coat over him to preserve his dignity. When she felt that he was fully human again, and the rippling sensation of his transformation had subsided, only then did she dare look at his eyes.

His expression was cold and hurtful.

"You stupid bitch." was all he said to her.

A few feet away, out of hearing distance but with a view of the couple, the others were standing. Saitoh was leaning against one of the tables, his cigarette disappearing in a steady trickle of smoke, as inanimate as a statue, giving the impression of being blissfully oblivious. Katsu was alternately wringing his hands and running them through his hair, allowing his muscles to relax, and his frayed nerves to calm. Kenshin was watching Kaoru. She was standing looking over at Sano. She didn't move or speak, a worrying determination affected her. She was too composed, Kenshin could see she was planning something.

Suddenly her head turned to address them.

"Send word to the Oniwabanshuu. This attack cannot be ignored. As of tomorrow night, we're at war."


	15. The Beast Inside

**Aothor's Note:** Just giving you a little heads up, there's sex on the way. And it might be a while before I update again, I'm getting dragged off on holiday. I do have an internet connection, but no privacy, so I'll do the best I can. Apart from that, Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Dr Gensai had performed the necessary surgery on Sano's arm, removing the toothpick splints and refining the work Megumi had done on the bones, and Sano was healing nicely. It had only been one day, but there was already evidence that he would make an almost full recovery. Being a werewolf had its perks.

Megumi was glad.

She tried not to think about the details of her future as a werewolf. She wouldn't let herself believe that she wasn't infected, the chances that she hadn't contracted the condition after having so much of Sano's blood on her cut hands were so infinitismal that to continue as though nothing had happened would be classed as stupidity in Megumi's book. She would approach it with the same strength of will as she had every other aspect of her life.

In short, she'd deal.

She mused over this again, considering the wolf growing inside her, mutating her body, one cell at a time, second after second, changing her from who she was into… something else. She was in the infirmary with Sano, changing the bandages on his hand. He still wasn't talking to her, and gave every indication that he was angry with her. He was leaning determinedly away from her, face turned the other way, his jaw set. He still looked like he was in his early twenties, late teens. In a couple of years, he would have looked like her boytoy, but now she wouldn't age either. His avoidance made Megumi's uncertain health all the more uncomfortable to bear.

She didn't want to look at him and see him like that, so instead she concentrated on what she was doing; wrapping virgin-white bandages securely around Sano's hand. The hand that had held her, touched her, teased her, comforted her. The hand of the man she'd come to love. Sano's skin was always a few shades darker than hers, a mild all-year tan. She loved the contrast of it when they were lying beside each other. What had started as a casual fling to entertain herself had cost her her humanity, but as she stroked the fine, healing bones, she had no regrets.

She finished reluctantly and Sano took his hand back. He grunted in what could have been meant as thanks and got down off her table.

"Don't you think we should talk about this?" she called after him.

"What's to talk about?" he said over his shoulder, but he had stopped walking.

"We could start with why you're so angry."

He snorted. "C'mon, Megumi, can't you figure it out? And I thought doctors were supposed to be smart."

A horrible, hurtful, possibility was lurking the fringes of Megumi's mind. After all, it made sense, didn't it? The only thing that had changed was her humanity, and the only way that could make Sano angry was if he didn't want her to be like him. Whether it was an aversion to commitment, or some territorial thing, he was abandoning her.

"Oh, I get it now." She wouldn't beg or try to get him to change his mind, but she couldn't help leaning against the table as her head swam, suddenly overcome by the size of what becoming a werewolf would mean, and how much harder it would be without him. How much harder everything would be without him. This was so much worse than just breaking up. Tears came to her eyes and she wished he would just leave. She tried to sniff discreetly but it came out as a sob.

"Are you crying?" asked Sano, sounding appalled.

"I think a person is allowed to cry a little when abandoned to her fate." she replied.

"What are you talking about?" he sounded angry again.

"No, it's okay. If you can do it alone, so can I. I just didn't think it would matter to you." It was too close to home, too much like a confession of how much she needed him, something that had never been a part of their relationship, that she'd turned her head away and let her hair create a thick curtain between them, so she didn't see him charge towards her angrily. She only knew he was there when he gripped her arm and spun her around to face him. She gasped and was startled into looking up at his face – it was that or his chest, they were so close.

"Who said you'redoing this alone?" he growled fiercely.

"But… you're so angry, I don't understand." Those were words not often heard from Megumi, but this was not the time for preserving one's reputation.

"I'm angry at myself! It's my fault, isn't it? I've ruined you." His grip on her loosened and he couldn't bear to look at her any more.

"Ruined me? You think I'm… ruined?" That hurt. It felt like the wolf he had given her had just scooped with merciless claws a sizeable chunk right out of her soul where her heart should be.

"Don't you?" was all he could offer her.

"I didn't, I thought… I didn't think… that you would be the one to…" She couldn't finish her sentence, it was too painful. She thought distantly that maybe her mind was protecting her from the worst of it by refusing to explore the possibility that Sano could find her repellent.

Sano's delicate, fearsome, brown eyes lifted to meet hers again.

"Like I said, I'm angry at myself." he straightened up, shaking his head as if to shake off the heavy emotions involved like so much water. "I'll teach you everything you need to know, and I'll help you through your first few changes." he said, sounding clear and disinterested.

"And that's all?" she asked timidly.

"What more do you want?"

She couldn't answer. His mind was obviously made up. All she could do was start to rebuild the fallen walls she had let down for him, brick by heavy brick.

"I'll come by later to talk things over with you. We still have a month till the next full moon, that should be plenty of time to prepare you, as well as you can be anyway." he said. Megumi just nodded.

ooo

Kaoru woke up alone. Instantly uneasy, she got out of bed and threw open her bedroom door. She could see Kenshin, standing in front of a mirror, quickly tying his hair up in a high ponytail. She knew instantly who she was looking at.

"Battousai." she said. She could tell by the way he carried himself, the way he wore his hair up to take his long bangs out of his eyes, and by the solid gold eyes whose reflections were trained on her. He finished with his hair and turned to face her. "You're leaving."

"Yes." That voice again.

"I can't let you do that." For so many reasons, she had to keep him there with her. Battousai the Manslayer could not be allowed out into the world again, free to kill without scruple, but she also knew that if Battousai walked out her door, she would never see Kenshin again and she couldn't allow that either. It may be as well that they would need him in the fight against Shishio.

Battousai put his hand on the hilt of his sakabatou.

"Don't be a fool. I have no reason to kill you if you stay out of my way. You have been kind to the Rurouni. I would prefer it if I could leave here without having to draw my sword."

"You'd kill me?" Kaoru realised she shouldn't be surprised. What was she expecting? Even if the hitokiri was capable of any kind of affection, it wouldn't be for someone like her, a plain human girl who didn't believe in killing.

"Yes." he said, simple and to the point. He obviously believed he'd said enough. He didn't seem the type to waste time talking to dead people.

"And you really believe you have no reason to stay?" Her voice was steady, because inside she was keeping herself sheltered, things could very easily go wrong and if they did she wanted to be composed about it.

"Do not make the mistake of thinking I am the Rurouni. You are his woman, not mine." His face was unreadable, giving Kaoru no hints as to what direction to go, what to say next to convince him to stay.

"Is that not a reason to stay?" she said, floundering. He gave a quiet snort of disdain that sounded like 'Don't flatter yourself,' and Kaoru flinched as if he'd said the words. "Don't you want to fight Shishio?" she added quickly, trying to erase her last comment.

"I will kill him tonight, as soon as I leave here." he said, his brow lowering into a scowl, but his lips curling into a tight smile, his eyes sparking like fiery coals in eager anticipation.

"Why not stay and fight with us? It makes no difference." she said, taking a step towards him.

"An audience would only get in the way."

"If Kenshin said that, I'd think he was trying to protect me." Kaoru was only talking to keep him there, saying the first thing that crossed her mind while she tried to formulate a proper plan. She continued moving towards him.

"The Rurouni protects you so insistently because he thinks he loves you, but what reason have I to protect you?" Kaoru ignored his words, not surprised that the hitokiri put so low a value on the emotions of his other half. He slowly stood in front of her, too close, his amber eyes burning down into hers. The high ponytail, in holding back his bangs from his face, had a startling effect.

"As I said, you are not my woman. You don't love me. What would you do with Hitokiri Battousai?" He said the words with a bitter amusement, but there was a burning intensity in his eyes, a question that scolded her. And was it just her imagination or was his voice even lower? Certainly it was quieter, as if he was talking only for her. And she was getting the impression he was choosing his words carefully to make it sound as if he was really saying something else. She was looking at his eyes, but she could see out of her peripheral vision that this angle afforded her an exceptional view of his muscular chest. This had to be accidental, but she found it hard to believe that anything Battousai did was accidental. She suddenly became hyper-aware of how close his perfect body was. Was the room getting hotter? It was beginning to feel that way to Kaoru.

"I have no intention of surrendering to the Rurouni again, so Kaoru, what have you to offer a hitokiri like me?" This was ridiculous. Battousai was _not_ flirting with her, he couldn't be. But it certainly felt that way to Kaoru. He must just have been trying to smoke her out, putting pressure on her in the hope that she'd snap and let him leave. Well, Kaoru could play the game too, and she'd take the time to enjoy it.

She brought her hand up from her side and lightly rested her finger tips on the bare triangle of his chest.

"I could be your woman too." she said, making her voice sound as confidential and suggestive as he was making his, but when she snapped her eyes up to stare into his, she let him see that she knew what he was doing and was prepared to play along for as far as she would need to to keep him with her. He took hold of her hand and exhaled sharply as if he thought it was funny.

"Tell me, what do you think I am?" he asked her, all seduction gone without a trace. Of course, just the deep timbre that came naturally to him made Kaoru's knees weak if she let it. She frowned a little at his question, not understanding. "Do you think I am a fabrication of the Rurouni's damaged mind? A defence created in response to some deep trauma?"

Kaoru couldn't deny that it had crossed her mind to wonder about Battousai's origins, but she just couldn't bring herself to think that Kenshin was anything as simple as split-personality. She couldn't put him in that box and accept that as an explanation. Battousai was something more.

"I don't think you're crazy, if that's what you're asking."

Battousai didn't answer her, he just kept looking down at her as if he was searching for something in her face. The silence made Kaoru uncomfortable and she became acutely aware of his hand on hers. She focused on the parts of him that reminded her of Kenshin, and her heart began to ache faintly.

"Does Kenshin know what you're doing? Can he see, and hear?" she asked him on the spur of the moment.

"He is… aware, to an extent." Battousai answered. Kaoru thought about that. Would it be worth it? Deciding it was, she rose up and kissed him.

Battousai's shock was evident in the way he froze in place like a statue, keeping his eyes open. Kaoru kept hers open too while she softly pressed her lips to his, willing him to respond in some way, return to being Kenshin and kiss her back. After a moment, Battousai gently pushed her away. She looked into his eyes for some sign of what he was feeling.

He opened his mouth and for a second Kaoru was certain he was going to tell her he would stay, but then he said,"I am going to leave now." Then he just turned and crossed the room to the door, leaving her standing there.

"Battousai!" she called out, turning only her head. "I forbid you to kill anyone."

He hadn't faced her when she spoke, and now he just ignored her order and opened the door. He closed it behind him and disappeared from her sight, leaving the apartment feeling just as empty as it had the last time he left.

ooo

Megumi poured herself a glass of wine as Sano seated himself awkwardly on her sofa. She had said the bare minimum to him, protecting herself. He seemed both uncomfortable and sorrowful. It was her second glass and she took the bottle with her.

"Is there anything you want to ask about in particular?" Sano said as she seated herself in the armchair opposite him. The first things that came to Megumi's mind were mainly profanities and accusations, but as a doctor for the supernatural she knew almost everything about the medical and practical side of being a werewolf, so she shook her head.

"Okay… Well, where do you want me to start?" continued Sano. Megumi shrugged and took another sip of wine. He sighed in exasperation.

"Megumi, I know this isn't easy…"

"Well, you're not exactly making it easier for me!" she blurted out before he could finish, instantly regretting it.

"I'm trying!" he replied.

Megumi tried to relax. It was true, if she disgusted him, he shouldn't stay with her. And he was trying to help, his was the only help she was likely to get, and she really didn't want to go it alone. She stared down into her swirling red wine, looking for answers but finding none.

"Am I going to want to kill people?" she said quietly, the most she'd spoken to him since the infirmary.

"It's easy enough to avoid. Make sure you're not hungry, change in unpopulated areas… Chasing things can be fun though. I recommend rabbits, they're more of a challenge." He smiled weakly, trying to lighten the sombre tone of the situation. Megumi just nodded again.

She heard him get off the sofa and felt his hand on her knee when he knelt beside her.

"It'll be alright." he said warmly.

"Don't." She turned her face away. Sano removed his hand, curling it into a fist.

"Right." he said, his face darkening. Megumi stood up and took a few steps away from him.

"I still don't understand why." she said.

"I know, it's not an easy thing to accept, but being a werewolf doesn't change your whole life -"

"That's not what I meant." she mumbled, continuing to swirl her wine around its glass to distract herself. Sano stood up and walked over to her.

"What did you mean?" he said.

"I don't understand why you want to help me, when I disgust you."

"What? When did I ever say that?" He pulled her chin up to force her to look at her, his fingers warm and rough, just as she remembered them.

"This afternoon. You said you'd ruined me." she answered.

"I didn't mean that you disgusted me! I was just pissed off, I still am." When he saw that Megumi was still in the dark, he rolled his eyes in despair. "Christ, broads are dumb. Look, You've always been so sophisticated and smart, you always made me feel like a scruffy street kid. Well, now my irresponsibility has hurt you. I hate _myself _for letting you get infected. If only I'd…"He sighed.

"So you weren't breaking up with me?" her voice was quiet, withdrawn, afraid of that soul-crushing blow.

"Hell no!" he said emphatically, almost angrily. But then he quickly drew his eyes away timidly, "Unless you wanted to break up. I wouldn't blame you if you did." he said.

"No, I don't want to break up with you." She was smiling like some high school kid.

"Good." he said gruffly. Then he snorted, "Disgust me?" he muttered, then louder he said "If anything I love even more now, though I know I shouldn't. I think it's the smell. You're starting to smell kind of… powerful, if you know what I mean."

"I don't."

"Well it's making you very hard to resist." he said.

"You don't have to resist me." Megumi invited.

"I thought maybe you'd want some time to, you know, adjust." he said, though his eyes were saying something different.

"Listen, I've just spent the last couple of hours thinking you'd broken up with me because you found me repellent. Right now, I just want you to convince me that's not true, with actions instead of words." she said.

Sano needed no further encouragement. He grabbed her roughly and hoisted her up so that she could wrap her legs around him. She kissed him violently and pushed his shirt from his shoulders. She still felt as if there was an emptiness inside her and she was seeking desperately to fill it. She knew Sano could do it. Already his body heat was making her feel better. She fisted her hand in his hair at the back tightly, pulling, and he snarled against her mouth.

He had already walked them across the room and now he kicked the bedroom door open. He dropped them on the bed and began tearing at Megumi's clothes. He didn't have the same motivation as she did, he wasn't trying to complete himself, he was trying to fight his guilt into submission. As a young, male werewolf, fighting and sex were just the two best things on earth. He'd always had to hold back with Megumi in the past in case he hurt her in his zeal, but as she raked her nails down his muscled back, he began to realise the potential of her condition.

Megumi had already got his shirt off and his bindings lay in tatters on the floor. She was still attacking his tongue with hers as if she hadn't noticed what his hands had been doing, or that she was now naked from the waist up. She was tugging impatiently at his trousers and he helped them off, tearing her own trousers off with a force that lifted her hips from the bed. Megumi just grinned. She needed to feel him, to have his hands on her, his exceptional heat covering her, his breath in her ear. And she needed it fast, and hard, but Sano wasn't moving quickly enough. She would have to provoke him some more.

She rolled him over onto his back, straddling him. She let him look at her before leaning forward and kissing him playfully, allowing her hair to pool around them, knowing her scent would be overpowering. He reacted by grabbing her hips and pulling her down harder against him, making her writhe against him. As if he wasn't already hard as a rock. She left his lips and began her assault. She kissed ever so lightly along his neck up to his ear, knowing how it frustrated him, then she bit the shell of his ear. She sunk her nails into his ribs, making him gasp and arch his back into her touch. This pleasure-pain thing was new development, but neither of them was complaining. She tried a playful growl, but what came out was the seductive rumble of a strong she-wolf. Too preoccupied to care, she told him, "You don't have to be careful anymore."

She yelped as he flipped her onto her back, hands pinning her wrists by her shoulders, secure between her thighs.

"Don't I?" he challenged, his voice low.

Without warning he buried himself deep inside her, surprising her and making her cry out. She wriggled, but he kept her pinned. When she calmed down he would withdraw and thrust into her mercilessly again, harder and deeper than he ever had before, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact she seemed to be quite enjoying it. She had begun to try to drive her hips into his thrusts, mewling and straining at his hands, but he kept her still. He was enjoying himself far too much. She rose up suddenly and licked him from his collarbone to his ear in one quick movement.

He shivered and she managed to free herself while he was unsteady, but she didn't try to get away, she just wrapped her arms around him, one hand in his hair lovingly. She was satisfied with his merciless, fast thrusts. She growled playfully at him again, and he looked at her in a sort of awe. She spread big, wet kisses along his neck and shoulder, tasting his sweat on her tongue. He looked away in feigned disinterest so she sunk her teeth into his skin. He reacted with the lightning-quick reflexes that came from the wolf in him, snapping at her as if to show her who was boss. Megumi just smiled.

Their rhythm became more erratic as they neared their climax. His large hands held her as he growled in shuddering release, Megumi muffling her own cries in the crook of his neck.

He collapsed next to her to avoid crushing her. They were both panting heavily. Megumi looked over at him.

"That was... different." he said.

"Good way... or bad way?" Megumi replied.

"Good. Definitely good." he answered her.

"Couldn't do it like that before." she said. Sano just shook his head in agreement. She rolled onto her side to see him better and winced.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, worried.

"No, just going to be a little sore in the morning." she told him, making him laugh and wrap an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her in and kissed the top of her head.

"You really know what a guy likes to hear, Kitsune." he murmured. She smiled and shuffled closer and closed her eyes for sleep.

But Sano stayed awake, thinking. He had been able to feel the wolf in Megumi, and that felt strange to him. It wasn't the first time he'd felt someone else's wolf with his mind, and he'd felt his own thousands of times. But Megumi... she wasn't supposed to have one. He'd given it to her. Sure, she looked happy enough lying against his chest, but he knew how much he had hurt her today.

His only consolation was that the wolf inside her was a good one, strong, much like herself. It wasn't as defined as others, but it wasn't even a week old yet. His own wolf had reacted to it in a way he hadn't felt before. It was intrigued, it approved.

Their relationship had never been a commitment per se, but it was far too late to keep up that charade now. He knew he'd never leave her, and the wolf inside him sat guarding the woman against his chest patiently, waiting for the night a month away when he would get to meet his mate.


	16. The Attack

**Author's Note: **Sorry this is so late! I'm on holiday, as I said. But hey, it's only been, like, a week or something, right? Hope you like this new chapter, better than you did the last one anyway. I hardly got any reviews for that! And it was Sano and Megumi's big moment! If you could inlude and itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny word about it in any review you decide to send me about this chapter, I'd be eternally grateful. Thanks again to my wonderful beta, Nebulia! Um, Oh yeah, the second half of this chapter, the next one, and the first half of the one after that were hard work, I'm not really an action kind of person. And if you aren't either, don't worry, I tried to mix in as much emotion etc as I could to spice it up a bit. So, enjoy this, people, and send me lots of lovely reviews to sustain me in this wasteland!

Chapter 16

Her heart was failing. He could feel her slipping away. It had been a minute or two since the blood had come freely to his lips, but he had no problem sucking it from her. None whatsoever. He could hear her heartbeat slowing down. He had soon discovered with a bitter disappointement that the girls that populated the city were not as much to his taste as they used to be. Nothing was the same. He found the neon lights both startling and beautiful, and he would have to get used to the lack of shadows to hide in. At first, the alienness of his surroundings had been unsettling, but in the end, it just made him more determined to re-establish himself. He would own this city and its girls with their cropped and dyed hair, their strange revealing clothes. Another thing that displeased him was the way in which they travelled in squealing, giggling groups. There was nothing demure or innocent about them, nothing that attracted him. They were obvious and proud, and fairly soon he found himself longing for the quiet of the appartment he had just left, where a vampire could enjoy his prey, and it made him angry.

But this one had been a nice victim, just his type. It was almost a shame she was dying, but there would be others. Many others. Ah, yes, the good life lay ahead of him. A couple of kills to make him strong, and then it was off to slaughter the vampires and wolves that thought they were frightening. They didn't know the meaning of the word. He was the stuff of nightmares.

Another thirty seconds maybe and she would be past the point at which she might survive, even with a hospital. Another thirty seconds and he would have her. He'd even succeeded in shutting the Rurouni up; he was quiet now, non-existent. Perfect. It had been so long since he'd tasted death, he was making sure to savour it.

He shifted his weight uncomfortably. This was getting tiresome. He should just let the girl go. Her blood was beginning to taste sour somehow. And when he really thought about it, it wasn't fair for him to kill her. She was young, she had her whole life ahead of her, there was still time to save her if he wanted to. Yeah, that sounded nice.

What the hell was he talking about! He was Hitokiri Battousai! He'd never left a victim alive in his entire career! So why was guilt tightening around his unbeating heart like a vice? Enraged, he realised what it was. It was the Kamiya girl's witchcraft, that's what it was. She'd said "Don't kill anyone," and suddenly he was as soft and as weak as the Rurouni. She'd ruined him!

He dropped the girl with distaste. Well, just because he couldn't kill her himself, didn't mean she would live. He would leave her here and she would die anyway, Kaoru couldn't control him. He began to walk away but he hadn't got very far when he had to stop. The further he was from the dying girl, the sharper a pain in his chest grew, until it was completely disabling him. He physically could not leave her to die.

He snarled ferociously before admitting defeat and turning back for the girl. He picked her up in his arms carelessly and ran her to the nearest hospital. Then he headed back to the Dojo. He would be rid of this curse.

ooo

Kaoru had been walking on eggshells since Battousai had left her apartment. She was just waiting for the first reports of his carnage to come in. Then when the others found out she'd let him loose on the world, she'd have her own hell to pay. But so far so good.

"Hey, Jou-chan, where's the leech?" asked a familiar voice as she made her way to their usual table at the Akabeko.

"Leash? It's a bit late for walkies, Sano, but I'm sure Tae would let you out into the yard if you asked nicely," she replied snidely. Sano pulled a face,

"I meant your little live-in health hazard," he said.

"Oh, no, I got that wiring fixed, don't you remember?" Kaoru smiled at him.

"Fine! Where's _Kenshin_?" he spat in return.

"Ooooooh, _Kenshin_, why didn't you say so?" Sano looked sour. "He's out hunting. I don't know when he'll be back." The knot in her stomach curled tighter at the truth of her words.

"How can you let him just do that?" he said angrily.

"Uh, well, it's that or he dies, Sano," Kaoru answered with as much _duh_ as she could muster. "Besides, Kenshin doesn't kill his victims." Too bad the same couldn't be said about Battousai. Sano snorted in disbelief.

"Sure, that's what he tells _you_. It's a line if I ever heard one," he said. Kaoru sighed.

"What's it going to take for you to trust him?" she asked.

"Er, excuse me? I did trust him. I trusted him to bring you back safely from Shishio, and look how that turned out. I think that proves my point."

"Sano, we've been over this, it wasn't like that." Kaoru rubbed her eyes; she was tired of this conversation. Sano shrugged.

"He drank your blood, that's all I need to know."

"Okay, one, I made him do it -"

"And I'm sure it tore him up inside."

"It did, actually! And two, it was to save his life! You weren't there, okay, Sano? Things aren't always black and white."

"Well, you can paint it any colour you like, but when the chips were down, it was you in that hospital bed, and he put you there. And that's what matters to me. Why is it that you care more about defending this killer that you've known for what? - A week? Two? – Than you do about how much you made us all worry? Us! Your friends! Who've known you for years! And it's not just me. There's Yahiko too. Maybe I wasn't there in that mansion, but you didn't see the look on that kid's face when he found out that Kenshin just might have killed you. He's counting on you, Kaoru! He's already lost one mom, don't make him lose another. You gotta be more careful! And I know what you're thinking, and yes, I do have a problem with vampires in general. So I'm a little prejudiced, so what? At least I treat my friends right. And besides, I have good reason to be, and that's my decision, but don't give that little kid reason, okay? He deserves better. He has it hard enough, I don't wanna see him get all screwed up like me."

Kaoru's mouth had fallen open in shock. Who knew Sano could be so... observant? She really felt guilty now. She looked across at Yahiko, who was at the counter, talking to Tsubame, who was blushing.

"Sano... I had no idea..." she began, her voice humbled.

"No, I know you didn't. You were too busy making googly eyes at that corpse you're shacking up with. That's why I'm telling you now." Sano was still storming, but he was beginning to calm down a bit. He looked away from her.

Ouch. Googly eyes? She had not been making googly eyes... Had she? Had Kenshin's arrival blinded her and changed her attitude towards her friends? It was true she hadn't been spending as much time with them as she used to, it seemed like months sice they had last hung out and done nothing, but so much was going on right now, what with Shishio attacking them every few days and all. But Kenshin made her happy in a way she'd never been before, and who was Sano to begrudge her that?

"Sano, you're one of my best friends, you know that, right? I need you around just as much as I need anyone, and I love Yahiko." Sano didn't turn to look at her again as she spoke, but he began to look uncomfortable. He gave a non-committal snort in response. Kaoru guessed his tolerance for conversation about feelings was wearing out. "But I love Kenshin too. And I need you to give him another chance. Will you try, please?" She reached out and put her hand on his. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, and for a long time he just stayed staring at her, but eventually his shoulders relaxed and he ran his hand over his face, angry with himself.

"Maybe. Eventually. But I wanna see some major sacrifice on his part," he said, as if it pained him. Kaoru smiled.

"Thanks, Sano, you're the best," she said.

Sano looked away from her again and mumbled his standard reply of "Don't you forget it."

A moment passed in silence, then Kaoru sat back in her chair and said,

"So how's your hand?" He clenched and unclenched it on the table.

"S'fine. Be good as new in a day or two. I'm under strict orders to behave myself till then." A small smile flitted across his lips, presumably at the memory of the doctor who'd given him said orders.

"And how is Megumi?" Kaoru asked carefully. Sano sighed and withdrew into his chair.

"She's definitely got it, but she seems to be handling it okay. She knows I'll take care of her." This time there was no smile.

"Well, tell her I wish her the best," offered Kaoru, and Sano nodded distractedly.

The door jingled as it opened, and there was a cry of "Oh, Kaoru!" then suddenly Misao was sitting next to her.

"You'll never guess!" she shrieked, her face glowing and her eyes shining. Kaoru thought she _could_ guess.

"Hey, weasel-girl," said Sano politely. Misao donkey-kicked him under the table and said "Hi" back without looking at him. Sano chuckled and slid out of the booth.

"That's my cue. You can take Yahiko home, can't you?" he said to Kaoru and disappeared out of the Akabeko without waiting for a reply. Kaoru now turned to face Misao fully.

"Aoshi-sama said he is going to initiate me after all!" Misao sang, seizing both of Kaoru's hands. Kaoru, never having known there was any doubt, grinned encouragingly anyway.

"That's great!" she said.

"Yeah, isn't it? He changed the rules just for me. Now you have to be twenty-one, but that's okay, it's only three more years, and..." she tried to look demure, as if she could ever keep anything to herself.

"What?" Kaoru was finding herself getting into the spirit of the moment. Misao's happiness was always infectious, and she could always make a person interested in gossip and girl-talk.

"Aoshi-sama and I are... We had..." Kaoru watched as the girl rushed through several shades of pink and red until she was blushing crimson. A suspicion began to form in Kaoru's mind.

"Well, okay, after Aoshi-sama said he wouldn't turn me, I kind of ran away, but he found me and there was this bartender - I hope he's alright – and Aoshi-sama _totally_ flipped his lid, even though I _so_ wasn't going to do anything - I mean, I _wouldn't_, Aoshi-sama is my one and _only_ - but anyway, he took me back to HQ, and we were in his room - _in his room_, Kaoru! – and I said I wouldn't leave until I had answers, or something like that, - Haha! Did he give me answers! – And then he kissed me and took me to his bedroom, and he told me I was beautiful, and that he loved me, and, and, we had... And, oh! It was amazing, Kaoru! But even afterwards he said he wouldn't turn me, so I was like 'You're not the only vampire in town' and he did _not_ like that, let me tell you, so that's when he changed the rules and now I'm going to be a vampire too when I turn twenty-one, and I love him _soooo_ much!"

Kaoru had guessed what had happened between the Okashira and his ward, and she watched as the young girl practically vibrated in her seat as her heart overflowed with love that shone out from her eyes.

"Oh, Misao, I couldn't be happier for either of you!" she cried, hugging her. The little bell rang faintly again, but Kaoru and Misao didn't look up until their table was surrounded by Oniwabanshuu.

"Misao-chan, Aoshi-sama's looking for you," said Omasu.

"Oh! Right! I'll be there in just a second," answered Misao, turning back to Kaoru to say her goodbyes. Another chime of the bell, this time followed by the sound of high heels across the tiles.

"Tokio! What are you doing here?" asked Kaoru in surprise.

"Megumi asked me to fill in for her," was the witch's reply, as she unwound her scarf and took off her coat. Suddenly she went still, and looked towards the door, and Kaoru saw that the vampires had done the same. Something was coming.

The front windows, which made up most of that wall, exploded. Glass sprayed inwards, showering them and making them turn away and cover their faces. Several of the diner's normal customers screamed, and one or two men stood up to see what was happening. Tae began ushering them out of the back door.

A woman stepped in, followed by a man and another woman and a score of werewolves in their wolf form. She was quite beautiful, well-dressed, and she carried herself with elegance. Her hair was up in a stylish bun, it was a strange maroon colour, but it worked. The other woman was dressed primarily in blue, with short black hair, and she was carrying what looked like a giant scythe. The man was wrapped in some sort of black cloak with even his mouth covered. They were both vampires, of that Kaoru was sure, and she reached for her bokken.

The woman in front swept the room with a glance and at first her eyes settled on Tokio and a recognition seemed to pass between them, making Tokio stiffen, but then the woman's eyes moved sharply to Kaoru.

"Kaoru Kamiya, I presume?" she said.

"May I help you?" Kaoru answered warily, her eyes narrowed.

"Yumi Komagata. We're looking for the Battousai."

"He's not here," Kaoru answered. The woman smiled.

"I thought as much. We'd like to challenge him, and it'll be so much easier if he's not around." She gestured over her shoulder and the two vampires stepped forward.

So that was how it was going to be. This was it. Kaoru had known it was only a matter of time before Shishio brought the fight to her door. She let the girlish glee she had felt with Misao and the guilt she had got from Sano slide away until she was completely focused on the battle ahead of her. Because she knew, if she didn't give 110 , she wouldn't live to see tomorrow. Her hand tightened on her bokken and she slid out of the booth to face her opponent.

To her surprise, Misao, Tokio and Yahiko lined up next to her. Misao's face was determined and her kunai were out, Kaoru could tell by her stance and her breathing that Tokio had opened herself to the forces that gave her witchcraft power. Yahiko had come over, and he had his shinai out, but he was hanging back hesitantly, his eyes like saucers. He was too young for this; Yahiko often made it easy to forget he was only twelve. He hadn't had long enough to process his parents murder, he wasn't ready to face vampires. But Kaoru knew that if she ordered him back now, it would be a heavy blow to his strong sense of pride.

"Yahiko," she began, "Run and find Sano, we may need him."

The boy nodded, suddenly determined, eager to accomplish this simple task and be helpful in some way. He ran out the door, but the man's hawk-like eyes followed him.

"Now, now, no running away," he said, and with a couple of loping strides, he unfurled his 'wings' and took off, gliding out of the giant hole in the front of the diner.

"Yahiko!" Kaoru cried, making the boy turn just in time as the ground at his feet exploded into a giant fireball. Yahiko's body was blown away, landing roughly on the ground. Kaoru didn't breath until she saw him struggle to his knees.

"I'd keep your eyes on me, there." The woman with the scythe had a high, girly voice which sounded strange when laced with a threat. Kaoru watched her more closely. "Hi. I'm Kamatari, The Large Scythe."

"I can see that," Kaoru replied. She forced herself to focus only on the vampire in front of her. She had to have faith in Yahiko. She quickly ran over everything she knew about these Juppongatana. After she had been kidnapped, and again after Sano was injured, she'd held a meeting to go over everything they had found out about their enemy. Kenshin had helped name and describe them, Sano had been able to recount their attack styles, then Saitoh, Aoshi and Tokio had added what they had been able to find out. She knew she faced Kamatari, that the man in the black cloak was Henya, and that the woman who led them, Yumi, was a witch, and Shishio's lover.

"That's Henya over there," Kaoru continued for Misao's and Yahiko's benefit, and nodded in Henya's direction. She hadn't taken her eyes off Kamatari, who didn't look so much impressed as annoyed. Point for Kaoru.

"I see you've done your research. Well, if we're done with the introductions, maybe we can get down to the fighting, what do you say?" she said.

"Fine by me."

_Yahiko vs Henya_

This was it. Now or never. Do or die. Yahiko tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he stared at the vampire in front of him. Henya. He could fly. He had dynamite. Yahiko saw the pale skin and the freakishly emaciated ribcage, and one thought ran through his brain.

_Vampires killed my parents._

He shook himself and pushed that thought away. What was it Kaoru was always saying? If you believe you're going to lose, you will. That meant he just had to believe he would win. Yeah, easier said than done. The fight hadn't even started yet and a cold sweat was already making its way down his back. He was a goner.

No, he wasn't. He couldn't be. It wasn't going to end that way for him, not for him. He was Yahiko Myoujin. He gripped his shinai tightly and looked into the night sky for Henya. A spark flared for an instant like a dying star, and another stick of dynamite came plummeting towards him. Reflexively, he swung his shinai like a baseball bat and hit the dynamite away from him, but it still exploded too soon, blasting him against the wall of a nearby building. The breath was slammed out of him and he was sure his skull had cracked like china, if only because of the strobelights flashing before his eyes and the warm limp feeling that saturated his body. The only thing his brain could formulate was a strained 'Ow.'Yahiko had never been through anything like this before, he'd never been in danger like this, or been hurt like this. He had a second to wonder why he wasn't just a regular kid, before he pushed all that away, remembering that self-pity never helped anyone survive a battle.

He had to be rational, not rush into things, not get angry. He tried to remember every lesson Kaoru had given him on how to win a battle, what advantages he could give himself. But what advantages could he possibly have when his enemy was impossible to reach?

He looked upwards for Henya again, and found him circling, as if bored, overhead. Yahiko ran along the length of the street, away from him. He wasn't running away, he was just trying to give himself space to think. A path of more explosions chased on his heels.

"There's no use running, boy!" cried Henya from above. Maybe Yahiko could just wait until he ran out of dynamite. But who knew how long that would take? Yahiko was running out of time. If Henya got bored, this could be over very quickly; he knew he was at a serious disadvantage. Another explosion and Yahiko was blown straight up into the air, and he hit the road hard. Where were all the police?

He must have passed out for a second that time because when he opened his eyes, everything was kind of fuzzy, including his brain. He saw the shape of a woman with black hair kneeling next to him, cradling him in her lap. It had been years since anyone had held him like that, had cared if he got hurt, and comforted him when he did. His shaken brain made the only logical conclusion it could.

"Mom?" he said, his voice slurred. He forced his eyes to focus, and blood rushed to his cheeks as he saw Misao's aqua-marine eyes looking down at him, her expression pained.

"No, kiddo. It's only me," she said softly, one hand stroking his hair unobtrusively. Yahiko struggled to sit up, ignoring the spots that swam in his vision, angry at himself, but at least like this he wasn't leaning on her, and she couldn't see his face.

"I knew that," he mumbled, heartbroken and furious at the same time. He heard Misao get to her feet.

"What do you say we make this a fair fight?" she said, her voice back to normal. He turned to look at her, and saw the kunai in her hands. She looked up at Henya as he circled back to them. With a cry, she launched six kunai at him, three for each wing. It was too dark to see them connect, and he was too far away to hear them shred the black material, but they could see well enough to see how Henya wobbled and began to lose altitude. Misao laughed and punched the air in victory.

It was then that one of the giant werewolves slammed into her, having been thrown outside by one of the Oniwabanshuu vampires.

"Oops! Sorry, Misao!" cried Omasu from inside.

"That's alright!" Misao called back, struggling to push the unconscious wolf off her. "Yahiko, finish him!" she shouted to Yahiko, reminding him that he had his own battle to fight. He turned back to Henya, who had landed twenty feet away.

"You little brat! You won't get away with this!" he shrieked, waving his torn wings in anger.

With Henya on the ground, everything narrowed suddenly into the situations he'd been trained for. He knew what targets to go for, and how to do it. He started walking towards Henya. He didn't run; vampires were infinitely faster. If Henya thought he was attacking him, he would counter-attack. But vampires also tended to underestimate humans, allowing them to get much too close without realising any danger. Yahiko had already closed half the distance before Henya spoke.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" he screeched when he looked up.

Yahiko kept walking calmly closer. "I'm willing to give it a shot," he said.

"You're a fool," was Henya's sneered reply. Yahiko stopped just outside his reach, his shinai at the ready.

In Kamiya Kasshin, you weren't aiming to kill your opponent. But when fighting vampires, this was a very dangerous tactic to follow. You had to be able to disable him, which usually meant dislocating limbs, or hindering senses. Which gave Yahiko an idea.

"What? No more dynamite?" he taunted.

"I'll show you dynamite, kid." Henya reached for one of his many sticks that he still had strapped to his body. He lit its short fuse. "Take this!" he said, and he tossed the dynamite at Yahiko, and turned to run. He didn't see how Yahiko had caught the stick and leapt onto his back just as he began to run.

"Huh? Wha-? Get off me!" he cried, trying to shake him off, but Yahiko hung on until the fuse was all but gone. Then he stuck it into the bandana Henya wore to cover his mouth and nose, let go, and ran like hell. He'd only gone a metre or two before the thing exploded. Once again he was blasted off his feet and he rolled across the rough ground.

Eager to see if it had worked, he quickly gained his feet again and looked behind him. As he'd predicted, Henya's face was relatively undamaged, but he had his hands over his ears and his eyes tightly shut. Yahiko smiled, proud of himself. He picked up his shinai and wandered carelessly over to where Henya was stumbling, both blind and deaf. Using both hands, he slammed his shinai into the base of Henya's skull the way Kaoru had shown him, and the vampire went down like a ton of bricks.

Only when the fight was over did Yahiko realise how hurt he was. He leant heavily on his shinai, panting, his whole body stiff and aching. There was blood on his hands and clothes. He managed to stagger away from Henya back to the Akabeko, where he sat against one of the walls that was still standing, and sank into unconsciousness.


	17. The Ninja and The Witch

Chapter 17

_Misao_

She hadn't seen this fight coming, and by no means was Misao ready for it, but she had the kunai she always carried with her and she had no choice but to handle it. She could use this to prove to Aoshi-sama that she could be Oniwabanshuu. It had hurt her that she had had to force him into his decision to initiate her with an ultimatum.

She pulled out her weapons, and put on her game face. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement in the group. Misao would be joining Kaoru against Kamatari, while the rest of her ninja family took care of the wolves. They would be heavily out-numbered, but Misao believed they could handle themselves.

She looked at her own opponent. What was it about being a vampire that made you weird? Not counting her precious Aoshi-sama, of course. But it didn't matter what Kamatari was wearing, Misao had to keep her eyes on the scythe. That thing looked like it weighed more than she did, especially with the ball and chain.

An explosion outside made them realise how long they'd been standing there sizing each other up. Kaoru caught her eye and Misao nodded. Voicing her battle-cry, she threw four of her silver-edged kunai at Kamatari's chest and neck. Kaoru dove forward with her bokken, but they both realised too late that Kamatari had caught the kunai effortlessly, and Kaoru just managed to dodge the giant scythe as it swung down, the tip piercing the tiles. Misao had already leapt up for a kick – the scythe was down, Kamatari's upper body was defenceless.

But then the iron ball came out of nowhere and slammed into her stomach, breaking ribs and knocking her breath out of her. She hit the ground solidly and lay there writhing as she struggled to breathe. She'd been winded before certainly, but never like this, and her broken ribs hurt terribly. She didn't feel that she could get to her feet even if she tried, all she could see was the ceiling.

Misao's eyes filled with tears, not from the pain but from disappointment in herself. She'd been knocked out of the fight so soon, so easily, in the first move the woman made. Maybe Aoshi-sama had been right about her. Maybe she was just a kid playing with knives and thinking she'd earned a place with vampires. All those years, how they must have laughed at her feeble achievements in combat-training, keeping her around because she was cute, never a member of the team. As she lay there, trying desperately to force enough air into her lungs to keep her conscious, as useless as a rag-doll, she couldn't blame them.

Well, if that was what they thought, she would just have to prove them wrong. She would just have to get up, no matter how impossible, and keep fighting until she won. It was time to strategize. Obviously she didn't stand a chance as long as Kamatari had the scythe, there was no way past it. She struggled up onto her elbow and watched Kaoru fighting furiously, never landing a blow, but only evading the giant scythe's blade and the iron ball with such a narrow margin that she was cut in several places, and the effort was beginning to show.

So how to disable the scythe? Her kunai's couldn't do it, she didn't have that kind of force in her throw, and Kaoru's bokken was just as likely to break as the scythe's staff was. Boy, an axe would come in real handy right about now.

Then Misao realised that they had an axe. It might be in two parts, but her kunai could be the blade, and Kaoru's bokken the handle. It was a long shot all right, but Misao knew her aim was good enough, and Kaoru's too. It all depended on Kaoru understanding what she wanted, and Kamatari not doing. But Kaoru didn't have time to wait for her to think of something else.

"Kaoru!" Misao shouted out to her friend as she threw her kunai, drawing both her and Kamatari's attention. As she had hoped, Kamatari used her scythe to block the attack, sweeping the knives away. Only one kunai stuck in the handle. Misao pointed it out to Kaoru with her eyes. As soon as Kaoru saw it, she understood, and brought her bokken down as hard as she could on the handle of the kunai. A direct hit, driving it straight into the wood. Kamatari's staff was so thick that it didn't break from being pierced, but the wood splintered and cracked, and was weakened to the point that it could no longer support the heavy blade of the scythe, which broke off slowly and landed heavily on the floor, useless.

Kamatari's expression was one of outrage, of furious incomprehension, and she let out an inarticulate shriek. Kaoru smiled, the odds of this battle were now more or less even and they both knew it.

"Misao, go check on Yahiko while I finish up here," she said, grasping what was left of her bokken confidently.

"Right!" obeyed Misao. She scanned the diner for the boy but all she saw was four battle-weary Oniwabanshuu standing back-to-back against a surrounding hoard of wolves, many of which already lay dead on the tiles, the rest of which were launching attack after attack in a writhing mountain of fur and fangs. The two witches were facing each other further away. They had no weapons or injuries, but they looked worn as well, and from the expression on their faces they were doing battle somehow. Misao had no idea how witches fought, she'd never seen any real magic, just the simplest little parlour tricks Okina had done for her as a child.

An explosion drew her attention outside just in time to see Yahiko land heavily on the tarmac as dust and debris fell all around him. His clothes were torn and covered in dust, his hand still gripping his shinai weakly.

"Yahiko!" Misao waited with baited breath for him to get up but the seconds ticked by. She stood up properly, ignoring the pain from her ribs, and ran outside. She collapsed to her knees beside him and rolled him onto his back, resting his head and shoulders on her thighs. She checked for signs of life, and let out a shaky breath when she found them. A kid like him shouldn't be doing this kind of thing, he'd just been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. She shook his shoulder gently, trying to rouse him, as she heard the bird-freak laughing from above them.

He moaned softly and his eyes flickered open.

"Mom?" he rasped, sending an icy dagger of pity through Misao's heart. She wasn't the most maternal type, but you'd have to made of stone not to react to him now.

"No, kiddo. It's only me," she said, as gently as she could, hating to disappoint him, and knowing how wounded his pride would be. She stroked his messy black hair without thinking, her heart bleeding for him. He wrestled himself into a sitting position, though he probably could have done with another moment or two lying down. But Misao knew he wouldn't allow himself that.

"I knew that," she heard him mumble, unable to see his face. Misao looked up at the man responsible who was flying laps of the street.

"What do you say we make this a fair fight?" she said mischievously, pulling out some kunai. Yahiko looked back at her, and she threw her weapons of choice at the black canvas that made up the bastard's wings. Three large holes appeared in each wing and she laughed, punching the air.

Something a lot like a furry couch slammed into her side, knocking her down and blinding her with pain from her broken ribs.

"Oops! Sorry, Misao!" she heard Omasu call from inside. She realised it wasn't a sofa but a casualty of the fight still going on inside between her friends and the werewolves. She tried to draw in enough breath to shout back,

"That's alright!" and began trying to shove the unconscious heap off her. She could hear its ragged breathing and feel its chest expanding under her hands. But the damn thing weighed a ton! It was like trying to move a refrigerator that had landed on you. She saw that Yahiko was hovering over her as if he wanted to help, but she knew Henya wouldn't have been put out of action entirely by the loss of his wings.

"Yahiko, finish him!" she reminded him, nodding in the direction Henya had fallen. Yahiko started and nodded with determination, then ran off to meet his enemy.

"Urgh." Misao said. The wolf didn't smell too pretty either. She put both hands flat against its shoulders and pushed with every ounce of strength she could muster in her disadvantageous position, and its shoulders gave a bit, but the wolf was too large and it didn't move an inch. She let her breath out and tried again, gritting her teeth and groaning under the strain. It occurred to her that it was a damn good thing that the wolf was unconscious.

After the second push, she gave up and lay back down, concentrating now on making herself comfortable and breathing. She couldn't take the pain from pushing anymore, and the wolf was making it hard to breathe. She would just wait until one of the vampires came and pulled it off her. She scowled, the road was wet and gravel was digging into her back. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and crossed her arms as well as she could.

Misao felt the wolf's shoulder move and she quickly realised she was in a nightmare situation, for which there was no "Worst Case Scenario" handbook.

The wolf, the giant, smelly, furry-refrigerator-slash-couch monster, was waking up.

She saw its paw twitch and it succeeded in getting its front legs under itself, ready to stand up. It shook its head, its eyes still closed, while Misao went through everything she'd ever learned watching National Geographic. Play dead? No, that was bears. Start shouting and charge at it? No, that was bulls. Aw crap, she was such a goner.

The wolf, an unoriginal black, brown and grey combination, heaved its humungous self to its feet, eyes still closed. Misao held her breath, terrified. It lifted a front paw and took a step away from her. Was it possible that it would just go on not noticing her and she would survive this? Guess not, because it then took a step with a back paw right onto her stomach, making her jerk up into a half sitting position, eyes wide. Of course, the wolf saw that. It leapt away from her, startled, then stepped towards her again, head down and growling.

Misao thought she could at least try defending herself with her kunai, but she couldn't bring herself to move. The wolf advanced further, growling louder, all its giant teeth on display along the great length of its muzzle. The fur on its shoulders bristled. Misao was really not breathing now. The wolf seemed to be demanding answers from her, identification maybe, but unfortunately for Misao, she didn't speak wolf. All she could see were the fangs, shining white under red gums, black claws poking out from under furry paws, and violent yellow eyes staring into hers. She sensed the wolf's muscles begin to tense up, ready for the spring that would finish her off.

She was too terrified to cry, but in her head, all the people she would be leaving behind flashed through her head. She said goodbye to the Oniwabanshuu, she imagined Okina, how lifeless he would be with her gone. Everyone at the Dojo, Sano would get mad, he always did. Yahiko would probably be sad but he wouldn't let it show. Kaoru... Misao knew Kaoru would blame herself for the death of one of her few real friends.

Last of all came her Okashira, Aoshi-sama. Misao felt a strong sense of injustice; just when things were finally going right! Just when he'd admitted his love to her, and she was going to be initiated! She could almost feel his fury at her death, it would send him over the edge, for sure. He'd end up ruining his own life in his grief, and it was that thought that finally brought tears to Misao's eyes. He needed her! She knew he did. No one else understood him, or knew how to read his emotionless body-language to know what he was really thinking! Who would take care of him when she was gone? Her beloved Aoshi-sama, supreme ruler of her entire world, would be left all alone! But she was powerless, she couldn't move to stop it!

She reached for her last kunai, and the wolf leapt. By some miracle, she managed to get her kunai up in time and the wolf met them inches away from her face, close enough for Misao to read the expression in its eyes. Two or three of the kunai went into its throat and one into the soft flesh of its jaw. It reared away, stumbling and trying to shake the daggers free. Misao's body was full of adrenaline, and she was no longer paralysed by her fear. She managed to scramble to her feet. Her hand was covered in the wolf's blood. Now was her time to run. She took a couple of preliminary steps back, but the movement drew the wolf's attention back to her, and this time it didn't wait. It leapt straight at her, ready to kill her the second it had her between its massive jaws. Misao could only throw her arms up in front of her face and screw her eyes up tight, letting out a scream.

But nothing happened. All she heard was a yelp, and then nothing happened. Slowly she opened her eyes a crack and eased her arms down. The wolf wasn't in front of her anymore. She looked around and saw it lying some feet away to her right, the hilt and three inches of the shining steel of a kodachi sticking out of its ribcage, having been carried away from her by the force of the impact. Its tongue lolled out of its mouth and its eyes were rolled back in its head. Its paws twitched in death throes. Misao didn't understand what was going on.

Footsteps made her look to her left. Aoshi was walking towards her, as calm as ever on the outside. His white coat stood out vibrantly in the black night, and the twin of the kodachi that had killed the wolf shone from his left hand at his side. He approached her and stood in front of her, looking down while taking in the state of her clothes, and looking for any serious injuries. Misao could tell he was angry again, and when his eyes eventually found hers, there was a definite warning in them.

"Misao," he began.

But it was all too much for Misao. After holding her breath for so long, and the giant adrenaline rush, plus being so terrified and now so relieved, she just couldn't keep her feet. She only saw the world tilt up to catch her as she fell, but everything was black before she hit the ground.

_Tokio vs Yumi_

Tokio was a very powerful witch. She had had the best training growing up and was blessed with natural talent, and special gifts like her clairvoyancy and foresight. But being a descendant of the Shinsengumi, she was never going to be a healer, or anything other than a warrior. If Tokio could be said to be any specific category of witch, it was that. Her repertoire was full of aggressive spells, and she had a keen sense of how to manipulate ki. It was all these things that she was counting on now to save her life. She didn't think the witch facing her would be pulling any punches.

Tokio knew she was the only one who stood a chance against Yumi. A non-magical person wouldn't last five seconds. She started accessing her magic while Kaoru was still talking. It was as easy for her as breathing. She relaxed, looked for the connection, and suddenly she was open to the world. She could feel everything around her, the dull weight of the furniture, and the shimmering ki of everyone in the room and nearby. The vampires were cold, steady, precise, like steel. The werewolves relied more on instincts, and were in varying degrees of eagerness. Their ki were more erratic and volatile. Wolves felt the more dangerous, while vampires were the more intimidating. But the witch was masking her ki, keeping it controlled and small, so Tokio couldn't get anything from it. Tokio had, of course, already been masking hers.

The next step was to set up all her blocks and protection, which took her about three seconds. She was alerted that Kaoru had stopped talking, and that all the others' ki had switched to the offensive. She was just about to lock down all her metaphysical walls and secure them ready for battle, when she felt a blinding pain like a javelin slip through the cracks, narrowly missing its target. If Yumi's magic touched any of her chakras, she could destroy them, and Tokio's magic would be so out of control it would be useless. Tokio winced, but wasted no time in slamming her defences into place, and checking for any weakness caused by Yumi's javelin.

The object of combat magic was to interfere with your opponent's ki, either disabling it by rearranging it or injuring a chakra, or controlling it. Being able to defend yourself was essential, and was completely dependent on the witch's innate strength. Attacking was more to do with ingenuity, and the ability to multitask. You had to be able to launch many attacks at once, while still defending. Like in any kind of battle, it was strength, speed and skill that determined the winner, with a little luck thrown in. And witches made their own luck.

Tokio felt Yumi's second attack against her protective block like a hundred tiny drills. A clever attack, but Tokio just brushed them away like so many tiny insects. She focused hard on her rival's ki, looking hard for any chinks or cracks in her armour, not honestly expecting to find any. This was obviously a witch who knew what she was doing. Her body language, and the way she was obviously in charge of her group, meant somebody, in all probability Makoto Shishio, had a lot of faith in her.

Tokio tried an attack that could help her learn more about her enemy. It was an exploratory assault that would feel like snakes slithering all over her, winding tighter, their heads slipping in between the layers of her walls. Yumi incinerated them by making her ki flare up in a flash of power. Tokio had never heard of anyone using that approach before, and it suggested an arrogance in the other woman that could be used against her.

Suddenly the fight picked up and Tokio found herself on the receiving end of a barrage of attacks, continuous, multiple blows to her defences. She strengthened her walls, knowing exactly how to counter this form of magic, and sent forth her own attacks. Tokio had no reason to think this approach would work on Yumi if it didn't work on her, so she soon changed tactics. A vicious collar of magic tightened quickly and mercilessly around Yumi's neck, strangling her. This was useful to both distract her enemy and injure her if it wasn't disposed of quickly enough. From her reaction, Tokio could tell Yumi had never experienced this before. Tokio wasn't surprised, it was part of her great-aunt's 'fight dirty' technique.

Yumi began disabling the noose and though Tokio could have kept it up for longer, she didn't want to waste the energy, focusing instead creating several metaphysical razorblades. They were not powerful enough to get through Yumi's main shields, but there are areas of the body that just aren't worth protecting, and it was these that felt Tokio's slicing magic. Deep red cuts appeared on Yumi anywhere her shields would allow, including the back of her wrists, the back of her hands, her ankles, the soles of her feet, the sides of her hip, and the outer edge of her shoulder blade. These cuts were not at all immobilising, but they were disconcerting, and they hurt.

Yumi gave Tokio a evil glare, and she smiled snottily back at her, hoping to rile her up even more, and make her careless. But Yumi would probably be too good a warrior to fall for that, but maybe not to fall for the trap of the razors. Yumi might now divert energy away to the injured areas, which would weaken her more vital protection, if only slightly. But she didn't. So, as if to prove a point, Tokio repeated the manoeuvre, hoping to provoke Yumi, but before her little lashes could connect, she felt an attack herself, like an angry ferret, digging and tearing voraciously through her shields next to her ear.

It was moving so fast it would only take a second and a half to break through. She had to abandon her attack and focus almost all her energy on dislodging the creature. She felt a low blow to her side, and in an instant made the decision to use a technique that could be very dangerous. She drew all magic away from the area and let her body absorb the force of the blow as if it had been physical. She doubled over, but she didn't have time to recover, she pushed a new layer of shields out from her ki, delivered the killing blow to the rodent, and stood up straight.

She was angry now that she'd fallen into the same trap she'd been setting for Yumi. Tokio wanted to hurt her now, so she used her trademark attack, clusters of magic that were able to damage a person's defences, and fly away from their attempts to get rid of them. Tokio always visualised them as a flock of ravens. Ravens were Tokio's animal of choice, she had an affinity for them and could understand them, not so much in words but in meaning. She had three such familiars, Aku, Soku, and Zan.

Tokio stubbornly kept her attack up much longer than she might have otherwise, until Yumi gathered the energy for another attack of her own. Now Tokio had decided what she was going to do. She withdrew power from her ravens and got ready to disable Yumi's attack, but she also created a tiny bundle of magic, that she would send under Yumi's shields in the same instant she launched her attack, like a little worm. She watched closely for that instant when there would be a weak spot in the blocks. Yumi's attack came, and her bug was placed. Yumi's attack was like a net, but Tokio turned one of her own techniques against her and burnt the net away with her ki. She then felt for her bug in Yumi's magic, ready to start wreaking some havoc with the woman's ki. But almost as soon as she had established the link, Yumi's own power flowed back along it to her, and she had to drop it instantly. Yumi smiled smugly at her.

The body of a wolf slid along the floor to stop between them. Both women looked at it.

"You're losing," said Tokio, smug herself now. Yumi looked around the room, her eyes confirming their defeat. She saw all the dead and unconscious wolves strew all over ground, and Kamatari sitting looking dejected with her leg bent strangely, and the lack of explosions from outside meant Henya was also out of commission. She saw the Oniwabanshuu's Okashira, Aoshi Shinomori, kneeling over the body of a girl, before picking her up in his arms and turning to walk inside. It was true. They were losing.

Furious, Yumi sent the message to all remaining wolves to kill all the easy targets, then fight the others one at a time as a group. Two wolves immediately appeared at her sides, advancing on Tokio.

"Another time then," she said, then turned her back gracefully and retreated, but not before sending all the power she could afford, which was a lot, straight at Tokio, not to infiltrate her mind, but to knock her on her ass. Which it did. Tokio felt the magic connect with her shields like a wrecking ball. She sat up just as the two wolves prepared to spring. One of them had been hit in the face and blood tinted its fangs.

From behind her she heard a ferocious, bass growling, and she just had time to think _Oh, great _when a giant black wolf sailed over her head, colliding with the two she was facing. It had torn one's throat out as it landed and now it turned on the other wolf, quick as lightning, seizing it by the throat and breaking its neck, this time taking the time to worry its prey, shaking it between its teeth. Then it turned to look at her with intelligent ochre eyes.

"Saitoh?" said Tokio in amazement. She could tell by his ki that it was him, and the eyes were unmistakeable. His fur was the blackest night, with the same purplish tinge where the light hit it. The wolf snorted as if in reply.

Tokio was in awe. She knew she'd just come close to dying, but at that moment she could only admire what a magnificent creature he was.

"You... make a good wolf," she said uncertainly. He swung his tail once, then darted off to dispatch the other wolves

Tokio took a moment to collect herself, looking around her, noting that Kenshin was with Kaoru. She told herself she wouldn't read too much into Saitoh saving her like that.


	18. The Master

**Author's note:** It's back to school time and I haven't finished this story which means I might have to go back to the fortnightly-updating system. I don't want to, but there you go. I'm trying my hardest to keep on top of this, but I do have a life. Not a particularly interesting one, but one that does require me to waste my time. Hope you enjoy this chapter, review, etc, etc, and, of course, be careful, because there is sex in this one. My raunchiest scene yet in fact.

Chapter 18

_Kaoru_

Misao's idea to break the scythe had come at just the right time. Things had been looking pretty bleak before. She hadn't been able to get anywhere near Kamatari, who had meanwhile been able to get too close for comfort to Kaoru. But now the scythe was broken, and things were looking up.

"Misao, go check on Yahiko while I finish up here," she said, hoping to calm the nagging worry she had been ignoring for the duration of her fight. She'd never forgive herself if anything happened to the little pest.

"Right!" answered Misao, and she ran off. Kaoru wanted to finish this quickly so she could reassure herself about Yahiko herself.

"You may have broken my scythe, girly, but that doesn't mean you stand any chance against me," said Kamatari.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just do this," Kaoru's seeming indifference enraged her even more, and she stabbed the end of what was now her staff down onto the chain with the iron ball on the end, which lay on the ground like a slain anaconda, and picked it up with hooks on the end of the staff. She launched the ball and chain spinning at Kaoru, who was just able to dodge it, and who dove in for an attack she used quite often.

Hit the leg just above or below the knee, and it dislocates. Bracing a hand on either end of what was left of her bokken, Kaoru did just that. Vampires may be stronger, faster, and a hell of a lot more durable, but their joints were just the same as anybody else's. She was close enough to hear the pop, and Kamatari came down like a house of cards. But when dealing with vampires, one dislocated knee isn't enough. A fighter like Kamatari would either pop it back in place, or try to fight on one leg, so the second she was down, Kaoru stomped on the opposite ankle, dislocating that as well, and probably breaking some of the finer bones. And that wasn't something you could fix yourself.

Kaoru never enjoyed doing this, but she understood the necessity, and tried her best not to lose any sleep over it, though she wasn't always successful. She erased Kamatari's screams from her mind as soon as she heard them.

"Now you just stay right there. We'll give you medical attention as soon as we can," she said, and stalked off to find Yahiko amidst the chaos. Kamatari just looked at her legs in mute horror.

She picked her way through rubble and fallen wolves until she was outside, briefly realising the whole front of the diner was gone. The road outside was pockmarked with craters, and Kaoru felt sick at the thought of what Yahiko had had to face. The first thing she saw was Aoshi's tall frame, outlined by his white coat, carrying something in his arms. Kaoru walked towards him, but as she got closer she saw that what he was carrying was actually Misao, and she ran to close the distance.

"Is she alright?" she asked of the Okashira.

"She has only fainted, but I think some of her ribs are broken. She should recover," he said. His voice seeming to carry more of an edge than usual, but Kaoru put it out of her mind. "I understand you have a doctor on staff at your Dojo. Do you mind if I take her there?" he asked.

"No, no, of course not. I'll send the others there once everything's wrapped up here," Kaoru said.

"Thank you," Aoshi inclined his head to her and walked away, pausing to wrench a kodachi out of a dead wolf on the way, then he simply vanished. Kaoru assumed he must be running the rest of the way.

She resumed looking around frantically for Yahiko, and she recognised his little form by the yellow shirt he wore, propped against a wall on the other side of the road. She ran over to him, suddenly feeling very tired mentally. She knelt next to him, her heart beating in her throat.

"Yahiko?" she called, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking him gently. "Yahiko?"

The shaking dislodged him from his position and he slid sideways into her. Kaoru caught him and shuffled closer so that his head rested against her shoulder. She could hear him breathing steadily and she relaxed, deciding to let him rest. She rested her own head on top of his and closed her eyes, telling herself it would just be for a moment.

Whether she fell asleep or not, she couldn't say, but she was soon obliged to open her eyes by an angry growling close by. When she did crack her eyes open, she saw one of what had to be the last werewolves standing staggering towards her, teeth bared and blood matting the fur around one swollen and damaged eye. Instantly a fresh wave of adrenaline flooded her system, waking her up and making her reach for what was left of her bokken.

The wolf was still several feet away and Kaoru struggled to stand, placing herself between it and Yahiko. The wolf growled again, and stopped walking to gather itself for an attack. Kaoru did the same, focusing her mind and bringing her bokken up in a tight grip.

Suddenly, all Kaoru could see was red. Long red hair down a back wearing a gi that looked red in the dark. Kaoru stumbled back in surprise.

"Kenshin!" she gasped involuntarily. He shot her a glance over his shoulder. Cold amber eyes with nothing but hatred showing in them. Anything else she might have said died in her throat.

The wolf, too, was surprised. It yelped and retreated a step or two, before flattening its ears and lowering its head to growl even more fiercely. In response, Battousai lowered his head and snarled more maliciously than anything Kaoru had ever heard before in her life. The wolf was taken back, it seemed to consider him, then it whined and turned around and loped off in the other direction. Battousai straightened himself out but didn't turn to face Kaoru. An uncomfortable silence hung heavily around them.

"Um, thanks for-" Kaoru was cut off suddenly as Battousai pinned her to the wall by her throat, strangling her, her toes struggling to touch the ground. Both her hands went instinctively to try and prise his away but his grip was like a bear trap. He pushed his face close to hers, his eyes narrowed and snarling, full of venom.

"The only reason you're alive is because this curse you've put on me prevents me from taking your life. If you think you mean anything more to me than a temporary inconvenience, you are very much mistaken, because I _will_ find a way to kill you and when I do, I'll kill everyone you know, and bathe in their blood. This city will be mine again, Kaoru, mark my words."

He dropped her harshly on the road where she crouched, coughing and trying to regain her breath. She glanced over at Yahiko, making sure he hadn't woken up. She never wanted him to see the evil that lived inside Kenshin. Then she looked up at her attacker, standing tall, looking down on her, his disdain showing plainly on her face. The real Hitokiri Battousai.

For some reason, she felt a pain like betrayal. But at that moment she closed her heart off to him, she would never forget again who he was and what he was capable of. She told herself she'd only ever hoped differently because he looked like Kenshin. Her heart ached, though, because she couldn't recall just how different Kenshin was, the sadistic killer was all too real, watching as she struggled to breathe.

She ignored the burning in her throat and took her hand away from her neck. She glared at him, putting everything she felt at that moment into her eyes, and hoping he could see that he had proved just how little he was worth. Indeed, something did seem to move behind his eyes, but the moment was over as his face contorted into a look of blind revenge, and he spun around, unsheathing his sword. In less than a second, the bodies of three wolves, who had been attempting to sneak up on them, lay gasping in the road, with their limbs scattered beside them. Battousai sheathed his sword, sliding it into place with a screech of metal. He turned back to look at Kaoru, with a painfully sarcastic reassuring tone, and said,

"I didn't kill them."

Kaoru swallowed and paused for a minute as she surveyed what he had done and made sure she could talk. Her voice was still hoarse when she spoke.

"Am I supposed to thank you for that? You've cut off their arms and legs. You maimed them on purpose, I know the sword you carry is a sakabatou. What you've done... It's almost worse than killing them," she said. She couldn't find any emotion to put into her voice other than the weariest disappointment.

"Well, Shishio will almost certainly kill them now himself. They are useless, after all." He was looking away from her, and he nudged a leg that lay near his foot.

"I'll protect them." Maybe Kaoru was just being contrary, but in that moment she meant it with all her heart and soul. The sight of the wolves, lying in the road, crying and wriggling about as their legs lay detached and motionless all around them, told her she couldn't just leave them like that. Battousai looked at her, perhaps to see if she was serious, but the compassion in her eyes made him turn away.

"Hey!" They both looked up to see who was calling them. It was the four Oniwabanshuu, looking terribly worse for wear, with claw marks and giant bites all over. One of them had Kamatari slung unceremoniously over his shoulder, and he had somehow managed to get her to be quiet. "Is everything alrigh- Woah!" They skidded to a halt once they realised who was standing with Kaoru. They eyed him warily, and Battousai kept his eyes on them too.

"Everything's fine. Could you take Yahiko back to the Dojo to see our doctor? And please take those wolves, and all of their parts, with you. I'll explain later if need be, but for now, could you just..." Kaoru had started off stern, sounding like she was giving orders, hoping that would make them do as she asked, but she trailed off at the end as her exhaustion returned, and it suddenly seemed rude, telling them what to do.

The smallest woman picked Yahiko up gently and happily enough while Kaoru had been talking, but the vampires looked at each other hesitantly about the wolves. Eventually they seemed to decide it was alright, it was Kaoru's Dojo after all, and they bent down to start collecting pieces. The biggest man slung the bodies of two of the wolves one over each shoulder, the second man took as many legs as he could carry. The woman with Yahiko took two or three and the taller woman took the third wolf and the rest.

"Thank you, tell Megumi it was my idea. Aoshi and Misao are already there," she said, resolving to give them all a gift after this was done.

The man carrying the two wolves nodded, and they set off. With Yahiko safe, Kaoru felt more able to handle Battousai. She started walking back to the Akabeko.

"I take it you've come back because you can't kill anyone since I forbid you to, is that right?" she said. Battousai started to follow her as he answered.

"Yes," he growled, and she could feel his furied gaze burning into the back of her head. Kaoru just nodded. What could she say? She wasn't going to apologise, that one command was keeping her alive, he'd said so himself. But she didn't think it would do any good to rub it in. She decided she needed help. As soon as they were alone, she would order Battousai to relinquish control back to Kenshin. Hopefully he'd know how to handle his other half. And it would be so good to talk to him again. When had everything got so... hard?

The Akabeko's bright white lights were still on, but the inside had been gutted, nothing but bloody debris was left, and the whole front wall was just a jagged edge. They stepped over broken glass to get inside. Tae was standing in the middle of the empty space, looking around her pitifully, obviously at a loss where to start. Tokio was walking around, tipping over piles of rubble as if looking for something. There was a huge black wolf nosing around the bodies of other wolves, but it had obviously not been here during the fight, it was too clean.

Kaoru walked up to Tae, quickly telling Battousai not to start anything as he stopped following her, and Tokio joined them. Kaoru gently put her hand on the propriatress' shoulder.

"We'll fix this. It'll be better than ever when we're done," she said.

"But... where are we supposed to live? Tsubame..." Tae shook her head.

"With us! You can live in the Dojo with us, it'll be fine, trust me. It'll work out," Kaoru continued.

"No one will want to come back here. Twice in one week, my diner's been torn apart. I'm ruined."

"That's not true... Sano alone eats enough to keep you in business, easy. And there's everyone else from the Dojo. In fact, I bet if you catered to supernaturals alone, your business would be booming. You could have special deals, 'Free pie on proof of superpower.'" Kaoru won a little smile for that one.

"Yeah, I know I couldn't resist free pie," chipped in Tokio, who hardly even came to the Akabeko and never ate there. Tae put an arm round each of them, making Tokio look uncomfortable, but she quickly hid it.

"Thanks, guys. I'd guess I'd better go tell Tsubame to start packing," she said, looking up properly and smiling weakly at them.

"Yahiko will be over the moon. He'll want to be the one to give her the tour," said Kaoru, and Tae laughed briefly before walking out of sight.

"I guess I'd better go over to the Dojo, see if anyone needs my help," said Tokio, ducking her head and heading out to the street. Kaoru looked around and realised she and Battousai were the only ones left, Saitoh having disappeared. She walked over to him.

"Back to my apartment?" she asked coldly. Battousai just met her eyes for a reply, which Kaoru took as a yes. She was even more eager to talk to Kenshin now. The sound of broken glass being ground under heavy boot steps made them look towards the street.

A man like no one Kaoru had ever seen was standing looking at them from the entrance. He was huge; tall, with incredibly broad shoulders, and heavily muscled as well. He had the longes hair Kaoru had ever seen on a man, black, and the back of which was in a low ponytail. He wore a white cloak, with a very high collar which would obscure most of his face from the side. His pale skin was luminescent in the white lights of the diner. A vampire.

Kaoru's whole body ached, and she just thought _Oh no..._ She was way too tired to handle another of Shishio's men that night. If he attacked her, she would probably die. Though she supposed Battousai might save her, since if he wanted to be free from her he would have to be the one to kill her by draining her blood. Plus, if she died, he might die too. That must be why he'd saved her earlier.

"Can I help you?" she asked, as the man seemed to take in the state of his surroundings. He looked back at them, and started to come closer.

"You know why I'm here," he said.

"No, I'm afraid-" Kaoru began to answer him, but stopped in surprise when Battousai did something very unexpected. He reached out and very deliberately, but quite gently, placed her behind him. Kaoru looked at his face and saw that his eyes were narrowed in recognition and she knew the man hadn't been talking to her.

"I do," he answered. A cold chill swept through the room and Kaoru shivered. Looking between the newcomer and Battousai, whose arm was still barring her from stepping forward, she understood this man was here to fight him, and that it had been a fight a long time coming. Kaoru held onto the arm trying to protect her and leant towards the hitokiri.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly.

"Stand over there and don't get in the way," was the only answer he offered her. He pushed her further away in the opposite direction, his arm like a steel bar, and she staggered as she tried to stand her ground. He reached for his sword and affected a defensive stance.

"Battousai, what's..." The stranger drew his sword and continued his approach. A few moments more and he would be within striking distance. "What's going on? Tell me! Who is he?"

Battousai snarled lightly and looked briefly enraged before he answered her and Kaoru realised he was doing it against his will.

"His name is Seijurou Hiko, he sired me and taught me the sword. He has vowed to kill Hitokiri Battousai if he ever returned."

"What?!" Kaoru exclaimed. This was the vampire that had turned Kenshin? And he was here to kill him?

"Keep your mouth shut," Battousai ordered her angrily while trying to face down Hiko. He obviously didn't want her giving him any orders and controlling him during a fight that could cost him his life, because if Hiko had taught him his Hiten Mitsurugi, then that meant he was just as good, if not better than him.

Unconsciously, Kaoru's feet started taking her away from them and closer to safety, but she stopped as soon as she noticed. Damn it all to Hell! It was just one thing after another, wasn't it? How could she fix this one? Well, the stranger was here to kill Battousai, maybe if he became the Rurouni again, Hiko would stop the fight. But then the clash of swords like lightning ripped through the room. All that was visible were red and white blurs. This was obviously serious. She heard Battousai grunt in pain and he went flying across the diner where he hit the wall, then the floor. The dent he'd made in the plaster was bloody and he was holding his shoulder, blood running between his fingers. It had to be a unbelievably deep wound for a vampire to bleed that much. There was now quite a distance between him and Hiko, and Kaoru ran between them, if only to buy some time.

"Stop!" she said, her arms out by her sides. Hiko looked as shocked as if a dog had suddenly stood on its back legs and talked. Kaoru continued, "You don't have to do this."

Hiko sighed heavily put his sword tip against the ground, leaning on it as if it was a cane. He looked past Kaoru to where Battousai was getting to his feet.

"This woman is in love with you," he said, matter-of-factly. "Haven't you learned your lesson after the last one?" Kaoru frowned slightly at being talked about as if she wasn't there, but she ignored it.

"She's the Rurouni's woman. I can't get rid of her," said Battousai, bringing his sword up again. Hiko chuckled,

"Poor, deluded soul," he said.

"Excuse me! I am right here! I do understand you, you know. I'm not deaf!" cried Kaoru, finally getting them to look at her. She rolled her shoulders and tried to seem professional. "Mr Hiko, you're here to kill Battousai, correct?"

Hiko nodded once.

"But what if he wasn't Battousai anymore? What if he went back to being the Rurouni?" She heard Battousai growl low in his throat behind her and she added a quick "Don't try to stop me."

"He will never agree to that. I'm sorry, but I have no choice." Hiko raised his sword again.

"I can make him! If he goes back to the Rurouni, if just temporarily, will you at least agree to talk about this? So that you can understand the situation?" Kaoru said, sounding a little desperate.

"If what you say is possible, then yes, I will agree to talk with you." He folded his huge arms, as if challenging Kaoru to do the impossible and subdue Battousai into the Rurouni. He looked both sceptical and curious. Kaoru turned around slowly to face the hitokiri, whose expression read quite clearly 'Don't you dare'.

"Battousai," Kaoru swallowed, nervous. "I order you to let the Rurouni have control." She did her best to make it sound confident and authoritative. Battousai got in one last snarl before his hard amber irises swirled with violet and became big and soft again. He looked a little confused and lowered his sword.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru said tentatively.

"Yes, Kaoru-dono?" he answered, looking down at her. Kaoru couldn't hold in a little moan of relief and she slung her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. His arms came up slowly to hold her waist gently and she felt so safe and so at home that tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks, only just realising how much she had missed him, and how much she had feared for him. She hugged him tighter, hoping he wouldn't notice her crying.

The sound of a sword being sheathed reminded Kaoru that they weren't alone, and she broke away from him, turning to look at Hiko while moving one hand to Kenshin's waist as he did the same. Hiko was looking at them without surprise, strangely enough, but with the same arrogance he had worn since he walked through the door.

"I think we have a lot to talk about," he said, as Kaoru wiped the tears from her cheeks.

ooo

Yumi didn't have to fear any physical punishment the way any of the other Juppongatana did. She knew Shishio loved her, and the last thing he would want to do was mar the skin he had so often complimented. In fact, her lord and love had never punished her, as far as she could remember, but he was subtle, maybe some of the times he hadn't been careful enough during their love making and allowed his extreme bodyheat to hurt her more than she liked hadn't been accidents. Well, if that was punishment, maybe she should misbehave more often.

As far as she was concerned, disappointing him was painful enough. At least she herself hadn't actually lost to that witch at the diner. That was something. Shishio always knew when she was lieing, not that she did it often, but maybe she could highlight certain parts of the truth, and play down some of the others. She let her agitation show as she knocked on his door, to warn him of bad news and to show him the sincerity of her apologies.

"Come in, Yumi," he said, and she opened the door and went through. He was sitting on his couch, talking with Hoji, a strange human with an amazing talent for business who worshipped Lord Shishio as a god, but he stopped when she came in. She quickly knelt before him and bowed her forehead to the ground.

"My Lord, bad news. The attack on the Akabeko was defeated," she said clearly. He frowned slightly.

"I thought the Battousai was no longer there?" he said.

"He wasn't," she replied, still on her knees. Shishio thought about this for a moment.

"Hoji, leave us," he ordered, and the human bowed his shoulders and left the room. "Stand up, Yumi," he said, getting to his feet himself and offering her a gloved hand to help her up, which she took. She knew what was coming from the way Shishio had sent Hoji away. He wanted to be alone with her, a favourite way of his of hearing bad news.

"Now," he said, letting go of her hand once she was on her feet. "Tell me all about it."

"It was the girl who owns the place, Lord Shishio, the Kamiya girl."

Shishio Mm-hmm'ed, slipping his gloves off, exposing his burnt hands. He slid one of these hands around Yumi's waist and pulled her closer. He ran the tip of his nose up and down her neck as she tilted her head back for him. The intense heat that poured off him melted her like always.

"She defeated Kamatari with the help of some little ninja girl, probably from the Oniwabanshuu. They broke his scythe and the Kamiya girl dislocated his knee and ankle," Yumi continued, her breath a little shaky. Shishio kissed under her jaw, a scalding brand on her skin and her nipples hardened beneath her kimono. Suddenly sensitive, she was sure she could feel the roughness of the bandages on his chest against her full breasts, and Shishio chuckled as he dropped more kisses, punctuating them with his teeth.

"Henya was defeated by a boy who lives with them. The ninja girl tore his wings with kunai, and the boy blinded him with his own dynamite."

"Oh dear," said Shishio lightly, but there was a tightness in his voice that betrayed his anger. He ran his tongue along her collar bone and Yumi was putty in his hands, the arm around her waist supporting her more than her own feet.

"There were more Oniwabanshuu vampires there who took out most of our wolves," she said, her voice working on autopilot as her brain was on fire with what he was doing to her.

"And what about you, my dear? What were you doing during all this?" Shishio asked in his low delicious voice, slipping the knot from her obi on the words 'all this,' giving them a different meaning.

"I was battling a witch who was there unexpectedly," she answered, as her obi and any other ties slithered down her waist and pooled at her feet, her kimono slipping further open but not exposing her. Shishio's hand ventured under her clothes and her skin jerked where he touched it, as if trying to escape his burning touch. But he was merciless, holding the dip of her waist while she seemed to adjust, and then until she couldn't take anymore, when he moved on to lower curves. His hand rounded her thigh, his thumb dangerously close to her centre.

"Did you win?" he asked, and he sunk two blazing fingers deep inside her, making her cry out and her knees buckle, but he caught her effortlessly and laid her on the soft couch, his fingers still working. She clenched around him as the heat made her wet and ready for him like nothing else, and said,

"No, but I didn't lose."

"Did you hurt her?" he asked wickedly, placing himself between her knees, forcing her legs apart, unable to protect herself. He spread her kimono wide, revealing her fully to his eyes, which frowned slightly as he evaluated the cuts Tokio's razor blade attack had left her with. He ran his free hand up her side and over her breast, the brown of his skin contrasting vividly with the milky white of hers.

She had closed her eyes to give herself over to sensation, but when she heard his question she snapped them open again and caught his.

"Yes," she said, extending the 's' sensually, while giving him her most wickedly villainous look. It seemed to undo his control for a moment because he bent over her and kissed her mouth, his hot tongue tasting her while being pleasured by her own. Distracted by the kiss, she didn't mind his hands leaving her to drop his own purple robe to the floor. Then his hands came back, both of them pressing hard against her skin as they ran up her waist, over her ribcage to her shoulder blades. He lifted her and she was able to hook her arms over his shoulders as she slid her further down the couch and closer to him.

"And then what happened?" he asked next, breaking the kiss, his breath hot against her face. He moved down her body, enveloping her nipple with his tongue, making her gasp as her breathing became heavier still. She was going to answer him, but he sank his fangs into the flesh of her breast, and she was blinded by stars as the vampire endorphins hit her brain. She was aware of him feeding from her, drawing on his bite hungrily, enjoying her blood tainted with magic, which held more attraction to him than a regular human's. She slid her hand up the back of his neck to hold his head in place, the tufts of hair that broke through his bandages surprisingly soft between her fingers.

"Yumi," She heard his voice speak to her and she brought her eyes down to his face. "I asked you a question," he said, his red eyes sparkling like rubies. She knew he was not angry, and that he enjoyed the effect he had on her. Yumi swallowed.

"I realised Kamatari and Henya were defeated, and most of the wolves, so I ordered the remaining ones to attack the easy targets and do as much damage as they could, then I came home to you," she said.

"Hmm, that was cowardly, Yumi," said Shishio, his eyes narrowing slightly. She sat up to be closer to him, less than an inch away from his face.

"Yes, but aren't you glad I did?" she said, reaching down between them to grasp the bulge in his bandages, her other hand resting lightly on his shoulder, her hair long since out of its bun and brushing her shoulders in a sultry tangle. She let her magic tingle along his skin, a warm breeze against the edges of his mind He didn't answer her, just pushed his hips harder against her hand, quietly growling low in his chest. She worked to remove the bandages constricting him.

"Maybe I should do more to prove my worth?" she whispered in his ear, and by swinging her own legs, which were straddled around his hips, around, she got him to sit on the couch. She kissed his mouth from a low position, making him tilt his head, pleasing him with the exagerated suggestion of dominance. Then she moved her mouth further south to between his legs and took his erection into her mouth. She spread her tongue along the underside of him and brought it up in a great lick. She enveloped him again, and sucked hard as she drew away, wetting the tip with her lips. A third time and she went slow, working the tip of her tongue along the delta of scars that marked his entire body.

"Yumi." Sometimes, it annoyed her that he could keep his voice steady during some of her most masterful and dexterous techniques, other times it impressed her, but mostly she just accepted that she would never hear a tremor or a shake in that rich timbre of his. But that couldn't keep her from trying. At the sound of her name she stopped what she was doing and looked up at him.

"Am I forgiven?" she said, and used her magic to stroke and squeeze while her mouth was occupied with talking, and give him brief flashes of what she could do for him.

"I grow weary of foreplay," he said, and he was suddenly grasping her arms and pulling her up off her knees to lay her the length of the couch. He held one of her knees and brought it to the other side of him, so that he was now kneeling between her legs. He wasted no time in settling himself along the length of her, covering her with his heat, the most welcome feeling in the world to Yumi. Without him, the world was a harsh wasteland of ice and snow.

He pushed her thighs further apart and she welcomed him into her. His heat was intense, she never got used to it, nor could she ever remain still when he entered her. Her muscles flexed and she writhed beneath him. He lowered his face to her neck and she offered it to him as he began to move in and out of her. He bit her again, piercing her skin with his long fangs. It was a good thing vampire bites healed quickly. The chemical high was not as extreme this time as she still had endorphins in her system, but his bite coupled with her body's reaction to his movements, and her world was aflame.

The fire spread all over her body and consumed her as they came. She only had a moment to enjoy it before she felt the air flood over like cold water compared to high temperature of his body and she curled up, trying to trap his warmth, aftershocks of her orgasm still rippling through her, while she looked for her lord Shishio. He came back within her range of vision, dressed and carrying a kimono for her.

"Get dressed," he said. "Our little assault may have been unsuccessful, but I don't expect the Battousai to take it lying down. We may very well be getting a visit from him before the night is over."

The thought brought a smile to his face.


	19. The Time to Act

Chapter 19

Kaoru, Kenshin, and the newcomer, Hiko, were all seated at the table in the back room of the Akabeko that had somehow remained intact. Kaoru was facing Hiko, and Kenshin sat between them at the head of the table. Hiko was doing all the talking, Kenshin just replying meekly, and Kaoru was being steadfastly ignored. She had just finished telling Hiko how she and Battousai were bound, and how she now had some level of control over him. Kenshin had been shrinking in his chair the whole time, growing more and more submissive under his mentor's disapproving stare, and then Hiko gave his opinion.

"You're such an idiot, Kenshin," he said. Kaoru's eyebrows shot up into her hair and she looked across at Kenshin to see his reaction, but he just continued looking down at the table and said:

"Yes, Shishou."

"You always were, you know," he continued.

"Yes, Shishou."

"Even when you were a child, you were a particularly dense child."

"Yes, Shishou."

"It's only due to my astounding skill and divine patience that I was able to teach you anything."

"Yes, Shishou."

"I'm surprised I didn't just give up and toss you back out onto the street, or at least give you to the villagers to look after, aren't you?"

"Yes, Shishou."

"And you weren't even grateful, running off like that, abandoning your training. Is that my thanks for all my hard work and charity?"

Kenshin seemed unsure whether the answer was yes or no, but Hiko didn't even notice the pause and he just continued as before.

"And now you've gone and screwed up again," he said.

"Yes, Shishou."

"Dragging this poor human girl down with you. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Kenshin flinched and lowered his head further, casting his eyes into darker shadow. When he answered this time, his voice was lower, and full of hurt.

"Yes, Shishou."

Hiko sighed. "Kenshin, you've got to learn. Humans are simple creatures, they can't resist us. Our looks enchant them, and they can't help themselves." He was obviously thinking of himself as a object of this unfortunate effect. "But it's not love. So take my advice, do what you need to do to free yourself from this binding, and move on with your life. Go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before. That was good; you weren't hurting anyone anymore," he said.

By this stage, Kaoru's jaw had fallen open so far and stayed that way for so long that it was an effort to close it again, and it did so with a click. She recovered her breath and hid her hands under the table to prevent herself from hitting the jackass opposite her. She looked across at Kenshin again. She hadn't thought it possible but he looked even more pitiful, and after a long pause, while Kaoru waited furiously for him to say or do something to defend himself, she heard him mumble,

"Yes, Shi-"

She cut him off, outraged against his lack of a spine and at Hiko.

"No! Kenshin! Hello! What the hell is going on here? You don't have to take this from him! The only reason he came here is to kill you! All he's done is insult you, and you just agree with him? HELLO! Sit up straight, this isn't like you. Don't listen to him."

She turned to look at Hiko, who was looking at her with suffering patience, as if she was a child who had found it's way into the boardroom and he was waiting for the nanny to catch up and take her away.

"And you! What is your problem? I mean, I know you're like his master and everything, but is this how you treat your student? I'm not surprised he left. Sorry, but I've sat here and listened to you complain about Kenshin to his _face_, while he doesn't even seem to mind. If he wants to just sit there and take it, that's his problem, I wasn't going to interfere, but I am _not _going to let you poison his mind about me, my race, and especially not the way I feel about him! I love him, and it's not for his looks, so you can just keep quiet about what you obviously know nothing about! In fact, you know what, Hiko? I feel sorry for you, I really do, because you've obviously never had anyone love you against the odds, which is the best feeling in the world! The only person you love is yourself, and that's just tragic."

Kaoru folded her arms and sat back in her chair, steaming. Hiko turned back to Kenshin, unaffected, presumably to start berating him again, but Kenshin was looking too fixedly at Kaoru. She did her best to glare at him, but it was difficult when his big, doe eyes were sparkling at her like that. So to hide her smile she leant across and hit him in the shoulder.

"And don't you dare even consider doing what he tells you, or I'll never speak to you again," she said.

Hiko cleared his throat and they both looked at him, Kaoru daring him with her eyes to try saying anything against them again.

"Anyway, Kenshin," he said, ignoring Kaoru and making her roll her eyes. "I came here for a reason. You know I can't allow Battousai to return, and you know my decision is for the best."

"Yes, Shishou," Kaoru slammed her hand down on the table in frustration and Kenshin hastily added, "But although Battousai is awakened, he has not yet been able to kill. Kaoru has forbidden it. She may be able to help us, and you will not have to fulfil your vow just yet. Maybe you should hear what she has to say."

Hiko looked offended that Kenshin should question his leadership, but he did turn towards Kaoru and say,

"Very well. If you are going to try to argue in his defence, you should know what you're trying to save. I don't suppose the idiot has told you the story of his life?"

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin to make sure he didn't object then she answered simply,

"No."

Hiko nodded solemnly and began to recount Kenshin's history.

"I found him at the side of the road when he was just a child. He was part of a slave-trading caravan," Hiko looked more intensely at Kaoru as he spoke, who was angered to realised that he was looking for some sign of disillusionment. She just met his eyes, black as jet, and held them. He continued. "Which was being attacked by thieves. I took care of the bandits, but he was the only survivor. I told him to go to the village, where I assumed someone would take care of him. A few days later I was passing through the same area and I found him again. He had buried all the corpses, even the thieves."

Kaoru looked sideways at Kenshin. If he had looked embarrassed or uncomfortable at all then she would have asked Hiko to skip the story, but he was sitting perfectly naturally, though with an air of disinterest, listening to Hiko as if he too was hearing the story for the first time.

"Understand that Kenshin is my only student. I was already over two hundred years old when I found him. I hadn't been looking for someone to whom I could pass on the secrets of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, but it had crossed my mind. And when I saw this young boy's respect for life and his self-sacrifice, I, in my ignorance, thought I had found the person I was meant to make my successor. So I took him in, I raised him and taught him the sword. Then the Bakumatsu started. The first one, the one that you _will_ find in history books. Suddenly, my student wanted to leave. He said he wanted to fight and 'help people.'" Hiko said it with a sneer of disdain, as if helping people was a ridiculous idea, the impossible dream of an idealistic fool. "I told him no, but he went anyway, abandoning his training. He became an assassin, and the characteristics of what is now the Battousai started to manifest themselves."

An air of drama had filtered into the room. Kaoru found herself hanging on Hiko's every word, and she glanced at Kenshin again. He was looking down at the table in what must have been shame.

"It was something I had never read in him, something I should have been able to foresee. If I had known, I would never have made him my student. I knew that with the secrets of Hiten Mitsurugi at his fingertips, he was always going to be a frightening power for whichever side he chose, but he became more than that. He was slipping out of control and I felt I had to act, I still considered him my responsibility. So I went to Kyoto and tracked him down. I managed to get him to return with me, then I made him a vampire."

Kaoru noted that Hiko hadn't said whether he had given Kenshin the choice, or even told him what he was going to do, but she didn't ask about it in case it was a deliberate ommitance. She wasn't sure she wanted to know anyway, in case Kenshin _had_ been turned against his will.

"It was the biggest mistake of my long life and I've spent the past two hundred years regretting it. Looking back now, I wonder how I could ever have been so stupid. But at the time I thought it was the right thing to do. It would distract him long enough for the war to end. It would teach him the self-control he needed to master the darker side of himself, give him focus. And it was the natural conclusion to his training in the Hiten Mitsurugi style. But I was wrong. It didn't help him, it just made it easier for him to become that twisted phantom, Battousai."

"All vampires want to feed, Miss Kamiya. We enjoy it, it's in our nature. But the part of Kenshin that is now the pacifistic Rurouni despised taking human lives, but he was too young to control himself. So he began, subconsciously, I'm sure, to use the assassin in himself as an excuse, reinforcing what I had hoped to destroy, dividing his mind even more. And I was too blind to see it until it was too late. In trying to cure him, all I had done was speed up the process and finalise it. I even provided the killer in him with an innate thirst for blood. Kenshin became a man in two halves, one monstrous, the other bordering on saintly.

"Meanwhile, I had resumed and completed his training. I saw what I thought was progress, but which was really the Rurouni splitting himself in two, cleansing himself of all the bad by attributing it to the Battousai. He created his own monster, but I gave him the means to do it, and I supplied that monster with supernatural powers and eternal life. He left again when he was safe enough to be independent, and for years I heard nothing, until the stories slowly started reaching me of the vampire who was like nothing the world had ever known, so terrifying and numerous where his atrocities, killing not only to feed, but because he enjoyed it, and not only humans but vampires and werewolves as well. When they told me he had hair stained red with blood and eyes that burned with hellfire, and a sword that struck like lightning, I knew the depth of my culpability, and I vowed that I would kill him. But I waited too long, a war started, a new Bakumatsu, and of course, Battousai couldn't resist. Selfishly, I waited. Being a vampire myself, I didn't want to take away what I knew would be the Ishin-shishi's most prized assassin, and I hoped that maybe he wouldn't survive the war. Obviously, I was wrong, he did survive. But he was different. The death of that human woman he was living with had affected him greatly. Whether Battousai retreated with grief or the Rurouni seized control out of guilt, I'll never know, but he emerged from the Bakumatsu a changed man, the man sitting at this table with us, with a vow never to kill again, and about as bloodthirsty as a kitten."

"I found him soon after that and told him that if Battousai ever returned, I would find him and correct my mistake. Which is what has brought me here. I heard rumours that the dreaded Hitokiri Battousai had resurfaced in Tokyo, and I knew it would only be a matter of days before the city was filled with the bodies of his victims. I'm sorry you're involved, but I can't risk Battousai returning."

Kaoru nodded, and leant back in her seat, considering everything she just heard. She wasn't appalled, she had already heard the stories of Battousai's inhumanity, undoubtedly grossly exaggerated over time, but which, like every good horror story, you could never fully disbelieve when you were alone in the dark. It was interesting to have a new perspective on the whole of Kenshin's life, his childhood, his determination to use his swordsmanship to help people. She could never understand what it had been like for him during the years in which he became two entirely different people, but now that she had heard the story, she felt more connected to Kenshin than ever.

"I understand that," she said. "But surely you appreciate that these are somewhat unique circumstances. Battousai is unable to kill." Kaoru had calmed down enough from her earlier tirade to slip back into her professional role as the head of the Dojo. Hiko was obviously not a man who would be impressed by strong emotions.

"I don't expect that to last. You realise that as soon as he finds a way around your command, you'll be the first person he kills?" said Hiko, looking at her strangely.

"First me, then my friends, he told me that himself. I understand the risk involved here, but I'm not going to allow you to kill Kenshin. As long as there's good in him, I'm sure we can figure something out." Kaoru gave him her best plastic smile.

"I'm afraid I don't see any other way out of this, Miss Kamiya. Don't let your love for him blind you. You're only human; you might have some sort of magic over him for now, but you won't be able to control him forever. Battousai has returned, and I must kill him," he said.

"But for the short term, he is quite harmless. And unfortunately, there is a vampire causing a lot of trouble in Tokyo right now, his own personal army was just here, you might have noticed the restaurant was destroyed. Kenshin may be the only one who can stop him, another reason to wait before executing your promise. If you'd like, you can stay at the Dojo, that way you could keep an eye on Battousai. And then we can all think of a solution together, once things have settled down."

Kaoru was desperately trying to wind things up here, she wanted to go home, check on the others, and talk to Kenshin in private. Her heart sank as she listed her things to do in her head, all she really felt like doing was crawling into bed with Kenshin beside her and falling asleep until it was all over.

"Very well, I accept your offer," said Hiko. Kaoru stood up, leaning on the table a little more than was professional.

"Good. If you'll follow me..."

ooo

Once Hiko was settled in his room, Kaoru and Kenshin went to visit the infirmary. All the way back to the Dojo, Kaoru had got the feeling that the two vampires had been talking to each other too quietly for her to hear. She had looked across at Kenshin from time to time and seen his lips moving slightly, or caught him nodding or shaking his head. When she'd looked at Hiko, he was watching Kenshin attentively. Kaoru had decided not to bring it up, since she could probably guess what they were talking about.

When they got to the infirmary, everything was quiet. Nearly all the beds had someone sleeping in them, the lights were dimmed, and the nurses all spoke in whispers. She saw the Oniwabanshuu crowded round one or two of the beds, and Sano was visible sitting in a chair flicking through a magazine. Megumi hurried over when she saw them come in. The poor doctor looked exhausted.

"Alright, Kaoru, there's an empty bed down there, if you could just wait, I'll take a look at you in just a second."

"I'm not here for me, Megumi. How are the others?" asked Kaoru. Megumi laughed tiredly,

"Who in particular?" she said. "I've got so many people here."

"Where's Yahiko? And Misao?" Kaoru clarified for her. Megumi gestured for them to follow her, and she led them to the bed Sano was sitting beside. Yahiko looked so young, his head sinking into a big puffy pillow. His black spiky hair was dusty and spotted with debris, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Parts of him were swollen with bandages under the covers, but he wasn't hooked up to any machines, so Kaoru guessed he wasn't too badly injured. Sano had put down his magazines and he was now eyeing Kenshin openly, but not hostily.

"He has a concussion, some first degree burns, some pretty bad abrasions, but mostly it's just a lot of bumps and bruises. I'll keep him here for a few days just for observation," said Megumi. Kaoru could hardly take her eyes off the boy, and she moved to the head of his bed and squatted down beside him, her thigh muscles complaining at the motion. She ran her hand over his matted hair, then carefully spiked it up again, knowing how he hated it when she did that.

"I shoulda been there," said Sano, clenching his fist. "He shouldn't've had to be the one to..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sano. This isn't your fault," Kaoru tried to reassure him. She looked up when she heard Kenshin speak to Megumi.

"What happened to the three wolves who worked for Shishio?" he asked her quietly, maybe hoping to pass unnoticed by anyone else. Kaoru alone could feel the shame that had made him ask, though Megumi must have known who had injured them like that. Megumi checked her clipboard.

"Dr Gensai had to call in a lot of favours from a lot of people to be able to help them, but I think they've managed to put at least one of them back together again. He's still in surgery, working on the rest. Don't worry, he has an expert team of neuro-surgeons, vets, and alpha werewolves, the best in town. I think the way they're doing it is by attaching all the larger, easier nerve vessels and bones and such, then the alphas trigger the change in the wolf back into human form. The transformation process apparently heals quite a lot of the damage. So far it seems to be working, but it's still early days. The wolf they've finished with is up here, if you want to see him. I've had to restrain him of course, he _is_ still the enemy."

Kenshin shook his head and held up a hand in a 'That's alright' motion.

The infirmary doors opened and Saitoh walked in. Kaoru noticed he wasn't wearing his navy policeman's jacket, and thought he looked strange without it. He saw them gathered and approached them. Kaoru was the only one who greeted him.

"Hey, Saitoh. What are you doing here?" she said.

"Tokio is complaining of a headache, and she sent me in search of aspirin."

"Really? She told me she was just going to go back to her apartment and sleep... She said she didn't want any company," Megumi said, raising an eyebrow as she smelled some interesting foul-play. Saitoh blinked and exhaled quietly, regretting his mistake, though he refused to comment. Realising she wasn't going to get anything out of him, she returned begrudgingly to her duties as a doctor.

"Well, if she has a headache, she should really come to see me, just to be on the safe side," she said.

At that moment however, the witch in question walked in, Saitoh's jacket in her hands. She walked over, and Kaoru thought she looked a little agitated. But she smiled and nodded at them all in recognition and handed Saitoh his jacket back without saying anything out of the ordinary.

"So, Tokio, Saitoh tells us you have a headache?" implied Megumi, her eyes accusing.

"Oh, it's already gone. Nothing to worry about," was Tokio's dismissive reply.

"Uh-huh, you told me you were going to bed," Megumi said, looking down at her clip board absently, though the metaphorical fox-ears were definitely in play.

"I am, I'll do that now. Goodnight, everyone." Tokio turned on her heel and walked composedly out of the infirmary, ostentatiously leaving Saitoh behind. However he just slipped on his jacket and turned to the doctor.

"It's my understanding you have one of Shishio's wolves here?" he said.

"Yes, but he's not conscious yet. He's down there if you want to see him. Don't try anything though. He's still my patient," she answered, losing interest with the change of topic. She turned back to Kaoru as Saitoh walked off down the ward. "I have to say, when the Oniwabanshuu appeared carrying three dismembered werewolves and told me to put them back together, I was a little taken back, but I wasn't surprised. It's just like you to want to help them, even though they were presumably trying to kill you. Speaking of which, I've already treated the vampire, Kamatari. He's in a cell downstairs," said Megumi, returning to her clipboard again.

"She," Kaoru corrected, slightly confused.

"No, he." Megumi grinned at her expression, relishing the opportunity to dispense some juicy gossip since she was denied the dish from Saitoh. "Kamatari's a man. A drag-queen."

Kaoru and Kenshin both looked totally floored by this information.

"But... but how can you tell?" stammered Kaoru.

"Well, I _am_ a doctor," Megumi replied, still smiling. Kaoru and Kenshin looked at each other, until Kaoru just shrugged it off as one of the curveballs life could throw you sometimes.

"And, er, where's Misao?" she asked, changing the subject.

"She's over here."

Megumi now led them to the bed around which the Oniwabanshuu were gathered. One of the ninjas was sitting up in the bed next to hers, another casualty. They were all dirty and scratched and bandaged, all except their Okashira, who was standing at the foot of the bed, arms folded and as still as a statue. His eyes were fixed on the girl in the bed, and he didn't look pleased. Kaoru drew up next to him.

"How is she?" she asked. Megumi answered for him.

"She has four broken ribs, but that's about it. I've given her some morphine, which is why she's still unconscious." Kaoru looked back at the Okashira, and thought she saw his eyes grow narrower. She wondered why he was so angry, but she knew it wouldn't do any good to ask.

"Jou-chan! The kid's waking up!" Sano's shout drew her away from Misao's bed, and she hurried to Yahiko's side, leaving Kenshin with Aoshi.

"I heard what happened between you and Miss Makimachi," said Kenshin conversationally, in his most inoffensive Rurouni tone, but Aoshi's eyes still slid to glare at him slightly, and there was a definite warning being sent out by his ki. Kenshin had heard rumours and pieces of the story while he was on the streets. "It seems we both have women that bring out the worst in us, however unintentionally," he continued soberly. He noticed Aoshi turn his head faintly so that he could see Kaoru, then he looked back at Misao, Kenshin apparently having won his confidence and been forgiven his trespass. Just then the girl's eyes opened and she looked around her.

"Misao..." Aoshi said through gritted teeth. She just looked at him for a moment, then she was on her knees on the bed with her arms around his neck, and a big grin on her face.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said, confusing everyone and temporarily silencing Aoshi. But he soon recovered and unwound her arms with his large white hands, holding her in front of him with a tight grip.

"What were you thinking? You could have been killed." He spoke as steadily as always, not shouting or expressing any emotion other than a tense authority. "You're not leaving Headquarters again," he said. Misao looked dismayed.

"Aoshi-samaaaaa..." she wailed. Kenshin decided to leave them alone and rejoin Kaoru.

ooo

Yahiko groaned as he tried to sit up.

"How you doin,' kiddo?" said Sano, tapping him lightly on the shoulder with his fist.

"Fine," he said hoarsely. Kaoru pulled him into a tight hug.

"Gah! Get off me, Busu!" he protested, wriggling out of her embrace and pushing her away. Kaoru just smiled at this proof that he was unharmed and that he hadn't hit his head too hard. She bent down and planted a kiss on his temple and said, as he looked disgusted and began scrubbing the kiss away,

"I'm glad you're okay, Yahiko. I don't know what I'd do without you." He just grumbled and looked sour in response.

"Did we win?" he said, once he was satisfied that he was purged of all Kaoru's loving cooties.

"Hell yes, you won. Let's hear it, hero," Sano chimed in, holding out his hand for a fist-stacking, which Yahiko gladly supplied, his face beginning to lighten up with the macho respect of his elder.

Kaoru felt Kenshin's hand gently take her elbow and pull her back towards him.

"What is it?" she asked, worried by the expression she found on his face. He looked apprehensive, but beneath that was anger, sparked by watching Yahiko.

"I'm going to meet Shishio. Tonight," he said.

"What? But there's only -" she checked her watch. "Two hours 'til dawn."

"If I wait for tomorrow, Shishio will be able to regroup his army. He will not take this defeat well, Kaoru-dono. His next attack will be to destroy you, and you will not be able to fight him off a second time, in the state that you're in. I have to strike first."

Kaoru recognised the logic, but she was still unwilling to let him go. She had seen this moment coming for a long time now, it had even been part of the plan, but she had only just got him back, was it already time to let him go and risk his life?

"Kenshin, I..."

"I'll go with you."

It was so unexpected, it took Kaoru a moment to realise who had spoken. It was Sano who had just offered to help Kenshin.

"I got something of a score to settle with these guys anyway," he said and he held up his bandaged hand.

She was going to object, but then she realised she felt much better having Kenshin not do this alone. She knew she could trust Sano with this, he was not a man who double-crossed the people he didn't like. He was looking at her with eyes that told her that this was him making an effort to give Kenshin a second chance. So she just closed her mouth again and nodded.

"I will as well. This is far too important a matter to be left to a doe-eyed Rurouni and an undisciplined mutt." Saitoh had returned from the other end of the long ward where the Frankenstein wolf still slept. Sano looked ready to take the bait, and opened his mouth to defend himself, but Kenshin cut him off.

"We need to leave now," he said. Kaoru looked at him, trying to read anything in his face, but his expression was closed and careful. Sano stood up, ready. But Kaoru still had one last thing to do before they left.

"Kenshin, can we step outside for a moment? I want to talk to you," she said. Kenshin dutifully nodded and turned and left the infirmary, but Kaoru lingered for another moment.

"Promise me that you'll come back, okay, Sano?" she said. She knew this was something Kenshin had to do, that he was the only one who might be able to stop Shishio, but Sano was a volunteer. She didn't know how she'd go on if the next time she ever saw him, it was his corpse she was looking at.

"Hey, no worries, Jou-chan, you know me, I'm tough." he said, giving her his oh-so-familiar carefree smile.

"You'd better be," she replied, and she met Saitoh's eyes firmly as she turned before leaving him to talk to Kenshin. Her control was slipping as she walked down the aisle of beds to get to the doors, and she was practically running by the time she shouldered one of them open. Kenshin was standing beside the door waiting for her. As soon as she saw him, she shoved him roughly against the wall and kissed him deeply, moulding her body along his. The kiss was short, but she made sure he felt it.

"That was for you, okay? Because you can't listen to what Hiko says," she said when they broke apart just as abruptly as they had come together. She made sure he was looking into her eyes as she spoke, so that he would understand the depth and sincerity of what she was feeling. The way she'd kissed him had obviously caught him entirely off guard. He looked so adorably startled, his lips parted slightly, begging to be kissed again, that for a moment Kaoru wasn't sure there _wasn't_ some sort of magic involved. Whenever she thought that this might be the last time she felt his cool skin beneath her fingers, her heart felt like it would pass out from the pain and she would die.

"I love you for real, which means that you have to come back, right? Dying is not an option for you, understand?" she continued, holding onto his shoulders. Kenshin still hadn't recovered from his shock, and she shook him slightly to make him reply. "Understand?" she said again.

"Yes, Kaoru-dono. I understand. But-" Kaoru slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from finishing his sentence.

"No, no buts, Kenshin. I haven't said everything I have to say yet." She retreated from him slightly, loosening her hold on him and putting space between them. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding to steady herself. "I need to talk to Battousai."

Emotions flickered behind his deep purple gaze, but they were gone to quickly for Kaoru to read them.

"I'm not asking you to become him, I don't think I could handle that right now. I just need to know that he can hear me, okay?"

Kenshin nodded, his expression darker, and Kaoru suddenly found it very hard to look at him.

"Um, okay, Battousai, I just wanted you to know that, when you're fighting Shishio... If it comes down to you or him, I want it to be you, okay? You have my permission to... to do whatever it takes, to stay alive." It was hard for her to sanction the thing she had always considered wrong, but she knew, if it was kill or be killed, she didn't want Kenshin to be in the position where he couldn't defend himself properly because of the binding between them.

When Kenshin didn't say anything she forced her eyes up. She saw him looking at her with eyes that were shot through with amber. She didn't know what to think of it, whether it meant that Battousai had heard, that he was trying to resurface again, or whether it meant nothing at all. But she didn't stop him when a decided look settled on his face and he closed the distance between them, tilting her chin up as her eyes fluttered shut. As they kissed again, Kaoru thought there was something different this time. There was something unsure in the hand that held the back of her head, and his lips didn't ask anything from her. In fact, she would say it felt like he was kissing her for the first time.

But Kaoru just put it down to the all the conflicting emotions of the moment and sought to reassure him. She held tightly to his gi at his waist, but when she moved closer to him, he turned his face away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, a little hurt. He cleared his throat and said,

"Nothing," his eyes still hidden from her. Kaoru thought his voice sounded deeper than before. "I should be going," he offered as an excuse.

"I'll... get the others then," Kaoru said, and she walked past him back to the infirmary. Sano looked up as she stood in the doorway and she just jerked her head in the direction of the corridor. He said goodbye to Yahiko and he and Saitoh joined them outside.

"Be careful," was all Kaoru could think of to say as the three men set off, but she hoped they knew how much she meant it.


	20. The Threatening Dawn

Chapter 20

Kenshin led the group through the city to Shishio's compound, Sano doing a good job of keeping up. They didn't speak as they ran, but they seemed to have reached an understanding. They were all putting their lives on the line. They all knew that Kenshin was the only one who would fight Shishio, the others only attacking if he failed. Sano had lain aside all his hate and suspicion of the vampire for the moment, along with his resentment of Saitoh. There was no room for division in their ranks. The night was quickly slipping away from them.

Unlike the night Kenshin had gone to rescue Kaoru, an alarm sounded as they took out the fence and guards, but since they were there to duel, there was no point in trying to sneak in. The alarm quickly shut off, and the grand front doors were opened, light pouring out into the night. The silhouette of a woman stood waiting for them as they approached. As they got closer, they saw she was beautiful, with a look that suggested hidden power.

"Good evening, Mr Himura, Mr Hajime, Mr Sagara." She inclined her head to each of them in turn, a very formal and polite greeting, addressing them in order of who she ranked the strongest. She was either a woman of noble breeding, or impressive training. As she bowed to them, Kenshin saw a vampire's bite marks on her neck, vivid against her pale skin. They could only be a few hours old. He assumed they were Shishio's, and though he was not surprised, it helped him to understand her position better. "Lord Shishio thought you might come to battle him tonight," she said. "My name is Yumi. I will take you to the arena, where Lord Shishio is waiting."

Kenshin and Saitoh just nodded, and Sano balled up his fists, ready to meet any challenge. They followed her silently through the impressive hall of the house to a small door opposite the stairs. It was designed to be discreet and undecorated; presumably it used to be for the servants' use only. It looked like a panel of the wall, without a handle. Yumi put her hand against it and pushed, dislodging it with a click, then slid it sideways on well-used runners. On the other side was an angular wooden stairwell leading up into what must be the highest reaches of the house, but the end was obscured by the bend in the stairs. It would have been pitch black in there, but there were black lanterns hanging from brackets set into the walls at frequent intervals all the way up.

Yumi glanced over her shoulder at them and said "This way," then she set off up into the staircase without checking they were following.

Kenshin knew he had no choice, and he knew that Shishio would only want to kill him face to face; they had nothing to fear from booby traps or any foul play. Kenshin moved first towards the stairwell, and the others came right behind him.

It seemed to take them forever to reach the top, their footsteps sounded heavy and loud on the wood steps. What waited for them at the summit was another door like the one at the bottom, only seen from the other side. Yumi turned around as they gained the last step or two, and said,

"Wait here for a moment, please." Then she entered the other room beyond the door and closed it behind her. They could hear her saying, "Lord Shishio, Battousai has arrived." A deep voice answered,

"Send them in, by all means, Yumi."

Meanwhile, the second the door had closed behind their guide, Kenshin said to Sano, while looking straight ahead,

"Sano, this fight is between me and Shishio. There won't be any need for you to get involved. I know this is something you do not want to hear, but please stay out of it. For Kaoru-dono's sake."

Surprisingly, Saitoh said nothing. Sano opened his mouth to reply but at that moment Yumi opened the door again and gestured them through.

ooo

The Oniwabanshuu discharged themselves, the vampires preferring to rest and heal at their own headquarters, and Misao refusing to be left behind. This led to Aoshi having to listen to a lecture on how to take care of the girl and what she could and couldn't do, and how often her bandages needed changing and what number to call if anything went wrong. After that, Megumi could do nothing but frown as Misao shuffled her way painfully out of her infirmary under the eagle eye of her Okashira.

Kaoru helped Megumi as much as she could. Having no medical expertise to speak of, all she could really do was check on the patients, very few of whom were awake, bring them any personal possessions they might require for the duration of their stay, or any food or drink they wanted, etc. By the end of this, Yahiko was quite well set up, acting just like his old self and enjoying getting pampered while doing nothing. He got so spoilt that Kaoru sometimes forgot he was injured and walloped him once or twice, which made him howl in pain and brought Megumi over to scold Kaoru and shoo her away, usually sending her on a supplies trip to the storeroom.

But what Kaoru was really doing was trying to keep herself busy enough to stay awake until Kenshin came back, and eventually Megumi spotted this and ordered her to bed as her doctor, threatening to sedate her herself if she didn't go. So with one last check on Yahiko, she trudged off to her apartment. Once there, she went to her bathroom, thinking to have a shower and keep herself awake that way, but she quickly realised she was too tired even for that, and since she didn't want to risk collapsing half way through and really hurting herself, she settled for brushing her hair and teeth extra thoroughly, and washing her face with cold water.

But when she began to feel nauseous from exhaustion, she grudgingly accepted defeat, and changed into her pyjamas. She crawled into bed and only had a second to think about Kenshin and hope he was alright before she fell into a deep sleep.

ooo

The room in front of them was huge, obviously a ballroom of some sort, very ornately decorated with a smooth tiled floor. There were no lights or torches in the whole vast space, it was lit completely by moonlight, which poured in from the wall to their left, which was almost entirely windows, and coloured everything in the room shades of blue, silver and black. The windows themselves were beautifully designed, large, and semi-circular on top. Long, heavy curtains hung on either side, tied back by golden rope, so that the curtains bunched at the top. There was no furniture in the room, and everything smelled old and was covered in a thick layer of dust, untouched for decades.

Standing in front of one of the windows, a little closer than half way down the room, was a man, staring up at the sky, bathing himself in the moon's shine. He was wrapped from head to foot in bandages, with some brown hair escaping here and there on his head. What skin was visible, mainly around his mouth and eyes, was scorched brown and creased. He seemed to be half-wearing a royal-purple kimono which hung down off his chest on one side, and black gloves. Another man was at his shoulder, standing back respectfully, obviously a servant. This man had black hair slicked back off his face and cut to just below his ears. He was dressed in a green suit and wore a slightly lighter green coat over his shoulders. Kenshin could tell that this man was human, and he wondered what Shishio was doing keeping him as a lieutenant.

Yumi slid the door shut behind them and Shishio turned slowly to face them, as if tearing himself away from some reverie. But as soon as his red eyes settled on him, Kenshin could tell his opponent was thinking of nothing else but the up-coming battle. Yumi walked past them and took her place at her lord's other shoulder.

"Welcome, Battousai," he said. "It's daring of you to come here so close to dawn. You're obviously confident you can win."

"No. I just couldn't afford to give you another chance to attack the Dojo." Kenshin's voice and eyes were steely and unforgiving.

"Of course. Your friends. Can't you see they only weigh you down? Get you in dangerous situations?" he paused, letting the compliment to himself sink in, and when Kenshin didn't reply, he smiled as if dealing with a stubborn child. "I wouldn't allow it. I only allow people who are of use to me to work for me. No hangers-on." Shishio began to walk away from the window further into the room, parallel to Kenshin. "If you're strong, you live, if you're weak, you die. The weak, who hold us back, need to be exterminated, they are only food for the strong. That's what I live by, and that's what I'm going to use to make this country great. The first vampire nation. That's the difference between you and me. I realise the potential and right of vampires to rule as the strongest, and you... Well, the less said about you the better." Shishio smiled again, a flash of white against his charred lips.

"You're wrong, Shishio. Every life has value, human too," Kenshin replied, walking forward to meet him, his face stony. Shishio looked disappointed and he looked behind Kenshin for the first time at the two werewolves.

"Ah, so I get to meet the infamous Wolf of Mibu after all. I hoped that the clues I left you by disposing of a few dogs here and there would get your attention. I'm sure you will be very nourishing to me," he said.

The reminder of the lives taken as mere advertising to attract him made Saitoh fight back a snarl, but he indulged in narrowing his eyes. For a brief second, he remembered Tokio's description of the third wolf's home life, his family in the suburbs. But it was brief, and it didn't distract him.

"But you I don't know," continued Shishio, looking at Sano quizzically. The human man in the green coat spoke up.

"Sanosuke Sagara, my lord. An infected wolf, briefly with the Sekihoutai until they were wiped out. He became a hired thug under the name of Zanza until recently when he became a spy for the Dojo," he said, in a simpering, ingratiating tone. Sano was greatly unsettled by having this stranger, who worked for the enemy no less, rattle off his life history like that. It made him angry and his expression darkened, but he knew enough not to let it affect him.

"Thank you, Hoji. An odd choice, Battousai. I was expecting the foie gras, but not the oatmeal."

Shishio laughed at his own joke, as Sano shouted a startled and outraged "What?!" Kenshin began to suspect that his opponent was a few stars short of a Milky Way.

"But a wolf is a wolf. They will all be equal in the food-chain of my new order, with me at the top as the strongest of vampires. Indeed, my appetite can be quite... _ferocious_."

As he finished speaking, his voice turned to a growl and he rushed Kenshin, taking him by surprise and almost matching him for speed. Shishio did not draw his sword, he kept his hands free, using one to grab Kenshin's hand where it gripped the hilt of the sakabatou, half-way drawn, and he forced the sword back into the sheath. He used his other hand to cover Kenshin's face and thrust it to the side, baring his neck. With a sound that was half triumphant laughter and half a growl, he pulled back his lips and opened his mouth wide, exposing two long, ugly fangs, which he buried eagerly in Kenshin's neck. Kenshin cried out, either in shock, pain, disgust, or all three.

Shishio let him go and he dropped to the floor. His gi was a little loose around his neck and it showed the wound and the red blood around it which trickled down onto his chest. Kenshin was in no risk of bleeding to death, the injury itself was negligible; it was the damage done to his pride that had been Shishio's goal. Kenshin looked up at him and saw his own blood seeping into the wrinkles of his chin and staining the bandages. The vampire smacked his lips and wiped his mouth with two fingers, which he then licked clean.

Shishio walked casually back to where Yumi and Hoji were standing, leaving Kenshin to get shakily to his feet. He heard Yumi quietly say,

"Be careful, Lord Shishio," and he looked up to see her glance out of the window at the horizon.

"Don't worry, Yumi, you have nothing to fear," came Shishio's deep reply. "This battle will be over before the Sun has even ceased to dream." Kenshin was steady again by the time Shishio turned around, who drew his sword as he advanced.

"The myougenjin," he said, as if introducing Kenshin to a person. Kenshin hardly cared, his mind was already watching every aspect of Shishio's movement, the length of each step, the angle of his shoulders. "A brother to your sakabatou, you know."

As Shishio kept talking and coming closer, something akin to hatred unfurled in Kenshin and he longed to carve that smile off his face.

"Enough talk," he said. Shishio stopped abruptly.

"Very well," he agreed. With a snarl, he slashed at Kenshin, who parried the blow. The cross of swords became a test of strength as both men leaned heavily on the other, trying to gain the upper hand. The swords slid apart, the tip of Shishio's ignited, and Shishio swung at Kenshin with his sword aflame, catching him in the chest.

"Does it hurt? Being cut and burned at the same time? I imagine it does," he sneered. "That was my Homura Dama."

Kenshin recovered quickly and attacked Shishio again, this time from above with his Ryu Tsui Sen. Shishio caught his blade against his own, the force of the attack driving his heels into the tile. Rebuffed, Kenshin parried Shishio's next attack, and dove in for another of his own. It went on like this, each blow lethal, none of them connecting. The clash of swords rang through the ball room, sounding like an entire battlefield with the speed at which they fought.

Shishio dragged the tip of his myougenjin along the floor, carving a deep groove while his sword remained undamaged. As the tiles chipped, Kenshin realised they were made of a special stone which created sparks easily, like flint or something similar. The blade burst into flame, ready for another Homura Dama. He slashed at Kenshin who deflected the blade contemptuously.

"Do you think you can show me an attack so many times without me realising how it's done?" he said, anger colouring his tone. "Do you think I can be distracted so easily? That I will take my eyes off your sword and let my guard down simply because it's on fire? I know how you do it, Shishio. If the friction between swords was enough to set them on fire, then mine would be burning too. But it's not the blade that's burning, it's what's on the blade, something that's seeped through the serrated edge and coated it after every life you've taken. Human fat!" Kenshin spat contemptuously. Shishio inclined his head in recognition of Kenshin's great perception.

"Well done, Battousai. My sword does indeed have a serrated edge, like a fine-toothed saw, that soaks up the fat of my victims, enabling my fire techniques. But knowing how it's done doesn't protect you from being burnt!" Shishio cried, but then he seemed to quieten, his energy became more focused and more deadly. "But I admit, it does rather take the fun out of it. So I'll show you my second secret-sword, the Guren Kaina!"

His hand seemed to come out of nowhere, grabbing Kenshin by the throat. The taller man lifted him off his feet, squeezing hard, though Kenshin didn't suffer as his blood didn't flow and he didn't need to breathe anyway. He laid the tip of his sword against his gauntlet.

"They say your powers of prediction are quite something. Can you tell me how this is done?"

Kenshin could only choke out one word.

"Gunpowder."

"That's right!" Shishio crowed as if pleased. But then his expression turned vengeful, and he ran his word along his glove, creating a spark and causing it to explode. Kenshin was thrown away from him, his gi suffering more damage than his vampire body. He hit the floor and skidded a further couple of feet as Shishio reached casually into the pocket in his sleeve and drew out another glove to cover his smoking hand.

"Well done, Lord Shishio!" cried Hoji from the sidelines, obviously in rapture. Yumi didn't say anything, she just looked woefully out of the window, where the black night was fading to a lighter blue towards a pink horizon.

Kenshin got to his feet, a little dazed and shaken but far from incapacitated. He didn't waste any time. His sword in his hand, he charged Shishio, who met his charge with his own, their swords colliding with enough force to drive them apart again. The fight resumed with the same intensity as before, neither one holding back. They both understood that this was a pivotal moment in both their lives. If Kenshin lost, he wasn't coming back, his life was over. The whole world would change, Shishio would take over Japan, and vampires would take over the world. Everyone at the Dojo would be killed in trying to stop it from happening, or become slaves. He would never see Kaoru again.

_I love you for real, which means that __you have to come back, right? Dying is not an option for you, understand?_

He heard her words repeat themselves in his head with her sweet voice like that of an absolving angel and he could almost feel the press of her hands on his shoulders and see the agonized worry in her clear blue eyes that was so dear to him. He could not allow himself to die here and break her heart.

However, in Shishio's mind, failure was not an option. It was not even the greyest of insubstantial dots on the horizon to him. He would beat the Battousai, then he would realise his destiny and bring the vampires into the light. Failure would number him among the weak.

They slashed, dodged, parried, thrust, attacked, and defended endlessly, without any signs of fatigue or loss of momentum. After one particularly violent strike that sent them flying in opposite directions, they paused a moment, seeming to recognise the futility of this. As it stood, they were too evenly matched. Skill alone would not decide the winner of this match.

Shishio surprised Kenshin by taking his eyes off him, turning his head to look out of the windows that lined the entire east wall.

"Do you know how I became burned like this, Battousai?" he said, conversationally. "I became too powerful a hitokiri to be allowed to live, so my superiors stole me from my resting place and left me outside to await the dawn, like trash being left on the curb for the garbage men. I awoke bathed in the Sun's rays, my body on fire with a pain beyond reason. But my will to survive was so strong that I awoke from the death that overcomes us all with the night's end, and I forced myself to ignore the agony that covered me and saved myself. I was strong, and I survived, needing no one but myself and nothing but my own force of will. It is that force of will that drives me now, Battousai. I alone survived that which means death to any vampire who encounters it. I battled the Sun for my life and was declared the superior. I think, no matter how fearsome or ruthless you may be, or might have been, that I can conquer you as well."

Kenshin couldn't imagine the pain of that moment of waking up exposed to sunlight, but he couldn't allow himself to feel any pity or compassion for his opponent. It was a miracle the experience hadn't affected his mind. He was evil, but not mad. Shishio's speech had made Kenshin uneasy, it was obviously leading up to bad news for him.

Shishio began to chuckle.

"The deciding factor in our battle is coming up. The reason why I was always going to be the victor. Your valiance has let you down. If you had waited for another night, you might have been able to prolong our battle and enjoy life for a few hours longer before your defeat presented itself. But you came tonight, with so short a time left to you, because you couldn't risk another attack on your feeble humans. Shall I tell you why your coming here was so futile? Ever since I was able to rouse my body into action in the hour of the Sun's malevolent glare, ever since I faced that fiery judgement and was declared to be the stronger, it has lost its power over me. I no longer feel the pull of sweet darkness, I am immune to the sedative of day! I can live, while all others die! So you see, as dawn rears its ugly head and our audience gains the largest star as another spectator, you shall fall prey to its oppressive charms, and I shall be left free to dismember your corpse and send the pieces to Miss Kamiya, as an omen of her near future."

Kenshin's eyes were wide with terror as he realised the truth of his words. If Shishio could truly stay awake during the day, then Kenshin didn't stand a chance, he would be completely defenceless. Shishio would kill him and then, unless Saitoh managed to defeat him, nothing would be standing in his way while he created a living hell for Kaoru and her kind. As soon as dawn arrived, the outcome would be finalised. He looked towards the window himself, at the pale winter's dawn that was washing the black from the sky. A thin ribbon of yellow light was visible on the horizon. Kenshin probably had less than a minute. It was over.

"Where's the honour in that?" growled Sano from behind him, speaking for the first time and surprising everyone. They all turned to look at him, expressions ranging from indignation to curiosity.

"Honour?" inquired Shishio with a tone of indulgence.

"In attacking an unconscious opponent. Where's the honour in that? There's no victory in beating someone who can't defend himself. Seems pretty scummy to me," Sano said, crossing his arms.

"Well, ignoring the fact that you're hardly worth acknowledging, just an annoying flea that's found it's way among the big dogs, I see your point. So let me invite Himura to do what I did. If he's so unwilling to die, if he cares so much about the hors d'oeuvres he considers friends, then let him fight, let him wake up. Yumi, draw the curtains," Shishio finished with a careless gesture. Yumi ran forward eagerly, hastily closing all the curtains so that not a single ray of light came through, rushing all along the length of the room. She had obviously been waiting for this signal, and would have been more comfortable if it had been given sooner.

"Well, either way, this flea's not gonna let you take over this country. I kinda like it the way it is. So even if Kenshin goes down, don't think that's the end of it," said Sano, and for emphasis, he pulled back his fist and drove it into the wall behind him, which burst into a million tiny splinters. The Futae no Kiwami was his signature move.

"Wow, you should join the flea-circus, Mr Sagara!" said Shishio, his tone sarcastically light, but his expression bored and his arms folded. When he spoke next his voice matched his stance. "I'm... not impressed. I was considering letting you leave here alive, but if you choose to fight me, I guarantee, you will not."

Sano scoffed,

"Whatever. You talk big, but why not put your money where your mouth is?" he said.

As Sano had said 'money', a familiar pressure came over Kenshin, one that he fought bitterly, but by the time Sano had finished 'mouth is', Kenshin's world was whisked away and his consciousness vanished from existence. There wasn't even enough left of him to care as his body crumpled to the floor.

**Author's Note:** Ahaha, cliffhanger! And it might be more than a week till I update, things are busy here, getting ready for an anime convection! It's gotta be awesome, I'm cosplaying Yumi! Wish me luck, review, etc.


	21. The Will to Live

Chapter 21

Kaoru was asleep, but she was awake as well. She knew her eyes were closed, but she could see, somewhere that wasn't anywhere she'd been before. She was alone but she heard someone talking to her. She was lying down - she could feel the soft pillow against her cheek - but she was standing up too, and free to move.

She _had_ been properly asleep, without dreams, just an anxious awareness, when suddenly a golden light had flooded her mind's eye and showed her this room; it looked like some kind of ballroom. She had a feeling of sitting up in shock, but her body was still prostrate in bed. She tried to remember what had happened between sleep and this strange astral projection.

"Kaoru!" Her mind played the moment back for her. She heard the voice calling to her, a man's voice she hardly recognised, its tone was so out of character, a desperate reach for her across the miles that separated them. Battousai had summoned her somehow in what had to be dire need and the blackness of behind her eyelids had been covered by a rapidly expanding pinhole of dark gold light.

She could see the ballroom, framed by the shimmering light, like watching a giant TV-screen. To her left, right and back all was empty nothingness, she couldn't even see that she was standing on anything. In the dark room in front of her, she saw Sano, bloody and beaten, trying to land a punch on a man she took to be Shishio. She knew he wore bandages covering his entire body but seeing him was something else. He appeared larger than life on the big screen. Shishio seemed to grow bored and punched Sano right square in the forehead, sending him flying, spread-eagled, away from him until he hit the far wall.

The force would have turned any human to paste, and it must have broken bones even on Sano, but what had always made him incredible was his stamina. After a second or two, the wreck that was Sano's body, with blood covering him in innumerable places, twitched and then slowly staggered to its feet again. He wiped blood from his mouth and Kaoru saw his lips move but she couldn't hear the words. As soon as she thought it however, sound came to her, and she heard a voice she didn't know, cold and hard as marble, but low and amused, say,

"Why do you keep getting up, time after time after time? Haven't you realised by now that you don't stand a chance against me? I suppose the only thing that can match your resilience is your stupidity."

Sano managed a smile,

"Listen, Bandages," he said, his voice tired but still joking. "Just 'cause you fell in the deep-fryer at KFC, doesn't mean you have to take it out on the rest of us."

Kaoru heard Shishio growl from off screen and Sano's smile grew. "I'm right, aren't I? I just knew it, I could tell that about you. You just look like an extra crispy kinda guy... Clumsy..." Sano wagged his finger condescendingly. A purple and white blur streaked across the screen and connected with Sano, making him slam into the wall to his left. Shishio cornered him and his fists rained blows furiously until he eventually stepped away. Sano's eyes were closed and he slid down the wall into a heap on the floor. Shishio seemed satisfied and began walking away. Kaoru watched for some sign of life from her friend, who didn't even seem to be breathing, until finally, after a long painful moment, his shoulders jerked and he coughed blood, clearing his airways, though he was still unconscious. Shishio heard this, and paused, but he just rolled his eyes and resumed walking away to where a man in a green coat was standing next to the witch who led the attack on the Akabeko. She handed him his sword back.

Another familiar voice spoke, revealing a third person she hadn't seen before.

"The rooster-head rushed into things. He's foolish. Don't think you will dispatch me as easily." This was followed by the low screech of a sword being unsheathed.

Shishio turned lazily to face Saitoh, and gestured that he was ready. Saitoh charged, launching his fearsome Gatotsu first stance at Shishio, but the vampire was somehow able to block it, an unprecedented feat, but Saitoh didn't allow himself to stop and be surprised, moving immediately into a Gatotsu third stance, slashing upwards diagonally from the ground. The vampire dodged, another amazing achievement, and he sent Saitoh away with a deep slash across his chest. He felt the pain, but he stood and faced Shishio again, this time thrusting diagonally down with a Gatotsu second stance, but Shishio dodged again, and again it was Saitoh who received the injury, a large X painted in blood on his chest.

He knelt on the floor, breathing hard, his grip tight on his sword. Shishio stepped closer, an arrogant move.

"So that was the famous Gatotsu. Somehow, I expected more from the Shinsengumi's prize captain," he said.

"Well, there _is_ something I've been saving for the Battousai... You should never drop your guard to boast," replied Saitoh, quietly but with menace. Shishio's eyes went wide, and in a flash their positions changed, having moved too fast for the naked eye to even register. It was Saitoh's mythical Gatotsu zero stance, a thrust at point blank range, impossible to block or dodge due to it's immense speed and force.

But it had failed. Shishio had avoided being impaled, Saitoh's expression was dismayed. Shishio had his fingers buried in Saitoh's shoulder.

"Drop my guard? What are you talking about? This is what you call composure!" cried Shishio, his deep voice rumbling. He jabbed his hand deeper into Saitoh's flesh, so far that blood spurted out the other side. But then he balled the hand into a fist and quickly ran the tip of his sword along the back of it, making it explode. Another Guren Kaina. Saitoh was blown away from him, his head connecting with the hard, stone tiles with an echoing crack. He didn't get up again.

"I grow tired of these interruptions. Dispose of them, Hoji," Shishio ordered walking back to his supporters.

"Yes, Lord Shishio!" the human cried eagerly, and he drew a gun out of his pocket. He walked up to Saitoh first, as he was lying closest, and aimed the barrel at his heart. He pulled the trigger, the sound ricocheting hollowly around the room. He then moved up the room towards Sano, but Shishio was apparently eager to complete the purpose of the night

"Hoji, come here. I want you to witness my finest moment. The moment I earn my place as the ruler of this country," he said.

"It shall inspire me to work ten times harder for you, my Lord!" replied Hoji, running back to his master, forgetting Sano.

Kaoru had been watching all this with a feeling of detachment, as if she couldn't influence what was going on at all, or like she didn't know the people she saw. It wasn't that she was numb, it was more like she was a ghost, a mere cloud, with her faculties spread too thinly to use. She couldn't organise her mind, everything felt very airy and vague.

She saw Shishio looking fixedly at a strange shape on the floor in front of him. Kaoru followed his gaze, but she couldn't make out what it was that was lying on the floor like that.

"So he hasn't woken up after all," she heard Shishio say musingly to his comrades. "It's funny, I half expected him to."

Kaoru looked harder at the heap on the floor, feeling that it was of vital importance somehow. Half of it was white, and there were shreds of purple, or was it pink? It was hard to tell in the dark. Something red flowed down from the end, fanning out in front of it, but it wasn't blood. Below that, its top half lost its softness and became quite sculpted, it was pale, like marble or alabaster, and dirty with blood and what looked like scorch marks. This part seemed to have more shape. Tilting her head, she could just make out a shoulder, and an arm, which would make the side facing her a back, and the red part would be a head, with long hair.

Her whole world slammed down hard into clarity as she understood who she was looking at. Everything was substantial and real and clear as crystal, she felt she had the whole universe at her command and that it was all confined in that room. She knew it was Kenshin lying unconscious on the floor in front of her, she knew it was day outside, she knew Battousai had grasped at the bond between them at the last moment, the instant in which Kenshin's life left him, because she was the only one who could help them survive this, as a tie to the waking world. She knew Battousai's summons had dragged her own consciousness from her body and that she was now in the place Battousai usually occupied in Kenshin's mind. The golden light was exactly the same shade as the underlying colour of his eyes, a colour she'd only seen once, the first time she had met him, when he'd pinned her against the wall after his fight with Saitoh. She had been able to study every shard of colour in his irises then, and seen them all embedded in a base of gold. She'd thought them beautiful.

She knew what was going to happen, that Shishio was going to kill Kenshin while he was unconscious like this. She knew she was his only chance right now, something Shishio would never have been able to expect.

"Wake up!" she cried at the limp form on the screen, running forward. "Kenshin, wake up! You have to wake up! Battousai! I command you to wake up!"

Nothing happened. Kenshin remained motionless.

"But it proves that I am the strongest here, or anywhere," Shishio continued talking from across the room, perfectly calm. He slid his sword from its sheath and held it up, admiring it. Time was running out.

Kaoru looked inside herself. As a child, her father had taught her meditation as part of her sword training, but she hadn't used it in years. Now, however, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating on shutting everything out, looking inward, searching for the link between her and Battousai. As she went deeper, she began to be able to feel the pulse of her own ki. Meditation had never worked this well when she was in her own body. Eventually, a little golden shimmer attracted her attention, it was the size of a grain of sand and it was emitting a dull sparkle. She focused on it, trying her best to nourish it into greater being. She visualised holding it, floating, in her hands, secure and less easy to lose.

_Battousa__i,_ she thought, and the little thing flickered. _Come here to me._ A little golden thread, as thin as that which a spider spins, thinner than the sand-grain she already had, and visible only by its radiance, sprung up taught, leading off from the tiny speck. She dared to open her eyes and she saw the little thread leading off into the darkness that surrounded her. Kaoru followed it hurriedly, two steps expanding her field of vision enough to find the body of Battousai lying in the darkness, a mirror image of Kenshin out in the real world.

She collapsed to her knees next to him and saw that there were, in fact, differences between him and Kenshin. Battousai's hair was pulled back in a tight, high ponytail, more samurai-like and threatening than Kenshin's shaggy low one. His scar stood out in sharper relief, making him look violent and more intimidating. His clothes were different, the hakama were black, and his gi was a rich dark blue, the better for hiding in dark places. Even his sword wasn't the same, a black lacquered sheath hiding what Kaoru assumed was a deadly weapon rather than a sakabatou, and it seemed oversized, presumably the mental image was adjusting to show the influence and importance of the sword.

She lifted his head and turned his face towards her.

"Battousai, wake up. I order you to wake up."

Again nothing happened, but Kaoru hadn't expected raising the dead to be easy. The little grain of gold was reacting to his presence, it was slightly larger and shining brighter. She focused on it with her mind and looked into his face, trying to feel her power over him. A variety of emotions came to her when she looked at him. Anger, frustration, hatred, but also a strange affection burried beneath everything else. The little diamond that represented their bondage grew warm as he filled her thoughts, it was happy he was near, and she too found herself concerned for his safety. He was dear to her in a way that was separate from her love for Kenshin. Thanks presumably to the magic that linked their ki, she understood him and his fears which made him act the way he had earlier in the street. He'd spent a hundred years confined with himself as the cruellest jailer. He wanted only to be free from everyone, free to pursue a reputation as the most terrifying being alive, because as far as he was concerned, you were only safe when no one dared to be near you.

Kaoru brushed a loose strand of hair from his face. If this was going to work, she needed to be honest about her feelings for him. Maybe it _was_ only the fact that he was half of Kenshin, or maybe the bond between them was affecting her more than usual and in ways unpredicted, but in that moment, as she fought for his life and held him vulnerable in her lap, she had love for him.

But it was time to dominate him and become his master.

"Battousai," she sent her command down the sparkling thread into him, "Wake up." She left no room for doubt or refusal or choice. She was telling him to wake up which meant that he would do it. His eyes snapped open, more golden than they were in the real world, but still with swirls of amber, dark and fathomless. But they were empty, there was only the beginnings of comprehension and personality in them. So Kaoru repeated her command.

"Battousai, wake up."

Sense trickled into his eyes and he blinked dizzily before fixing his gaze on her.

"Kaoru?" He didn't sound surprised to see her there, it was more like he was making sure she was real.

"It's me," she replied. He sat up, extracting himself from her arms.

"It worked?" he asked in his low timbre.

"Yes."

"It's day and I'm awake?" It was as if he had a checklist in his head which he was running through. These questions were by no means expressions of incredulity.

"Yes. It was clever of you to bring me here," Kaoru said, looking at him as he stood up and looked over at the TV-screen showing them the outside world.

"I'm still alive?" he said, ignoring her comment. Kaoru knew that when he said 'I' he meant the body he and Kenshin shared. It seemed to her that he was acting differently, as if, in here, he didn't have to be the monster he was in life. It was as if all the bloodlust and menace only came with corporeal form.

"Yes, but it doesn't look like you'll be that way for long," she answered, joining him. She saw that Shishio had finished talking to his cronies and admiring his sword. He was walking slowly towards where Kenshin lay. Something occurred to her. "Where's Kenshin?" she asked, looking around as if she hoped to find him lurking in a shadowed corner nearby. There was a long pause before Battousai answered her.

"He's not here," he said cryptically. He turned to face her, changing the subject. "We have to hurry. Order me back," he said.

"Battousai, go back." Nothing happened.

"It's not working. You have to be specific. You have to be strong," Battousai chastised her, as Shishio got closer still to Kenshin, savouring his moment of victory.

"How can I be specific? What should I say?" Kaoru was beginning to panic, her eyes flicking between the screen and the man in front of her.

"It doesn't matter, just mean it," was the advice he gave her. She looked back at the screen, at the assassin raising his sword over the body of her love, ready to strike. She heard him state his epigraph, "Goodbye, Kenshin Himura, the Hitokiri Battousai," as she reached inside herself for the throbbing gem inside her that gave her power over her host. She grabbed it with both hands, its heat burning her, Battousai reacting next to her by doubling over and clutching his chest as if he was having a heart attack, his features twisted in pain, but that only helped to fuel her unquestionable authority.

"Battousai," she said, looking at the body lying in the ballroom and forcing it to do her bidding with sheer will power. She felt like her words were physically forcing him into the world outside, into Kenshin. "Wake up!"

In a flash, the screen expanded all around her until she was standing in the ballroom herself. She searched quickly for Battousai and saw him crouched on the floor, glaring up at Shishio with narrow amber eyes, his sword having met nothing but tile, and who was looking back at him with an expression of immense surprise. No one looked at her or acknowledged her at all, and she realized they couldn't see her. The dust that was coating every surface was flying and swirling in little whirlwinds on the ground, affected by the surge of power involved in a vampire reanimating himself. His vampire spirit was affecting the air around him.

She heard his voice echo distantly, "I can take it from here." She just had time to recognize the macho eagerness for a fight, before she was suddenly back in her bed, sitting up, gasping, in her bedroom.

ooo

"Let's finish this," growled Battousai, getting to his feet and reaching for his sword. He slid it back into its sheath, reading for battoujutsu. Shishio's face fell into one of intense hatred, obviously irritated that he was no longer the only vampire to have ever awakened during daylight hours. He removed his sword from the tile with a chink and faced Battousai, all light chat forgotten. Now was the time for the last move, the final, ultimate attack. For Battousai, this meant the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, the fastest and most powerful attack of Hiten Mitsurugi. He could count the number of times he had been called to use it in all his two hundred years on the fingers of one hand, not counting the thumb. For Shishio, it meant the Kagu Zuchi, a cyclone of fire that would engulf and destroy any opponent.

Battousai charged. Their swords connected. The blows were parried. Each warrior struggled against the other. Battousai lost the test of strength, his attack did not connect. With a cry of triumph, Shishio ran his blade along the edge of his sheath, setting it afire. He swung it upwards, a ribbon of flame circling round him. He could see his victory.

Battousai followed through the strike of his sword, the momentum of the attack carrying him round again, his speed and strength off the charts. Shishio was ready to end this. With one last feral grin, his grip tensed on the handle of his myougenjin.

His heel slipped forward unexpectedly and his smile faltered. Something was pushing him closer to the Battousai. With a horror so bitter it almost made him gag, he realised the truth. A truth so repulsive, if his heart had been beating it would have stopped in that moment. Battousai's slash had been so powerful it had blown the air away from him, creating a vacuum between them, and the air was now rushing back, and dragging him with it.

Battousai completed his turn and this time his sword connected, crushing his ribs and lifting him off his feet to make him land a dozen feet away, the sakabatou's reverse edge the only reason he wasn't in two halves. He lay still, unable to move.

"Lord Shishio!"

Battousai had forgotten the woman was there, but he didn't look at her as she screamed and ran towards her lover. Her hands flitted over his chest and neck, feeling for signs of life she knew wouldn't be there even if he had survived. Shishio's eyes opened and Battousai was immediately on his guard. The woman cried out in relief and for a moment she collapsed, her head resting over his heart. But she soon straightened, aware that Battousai was watching.

"Stop this. Don't continue this battle. We'll leave you alone. You can leave here and go back to your friends." She knelt with her back to Shishio, her arms held out wide. She wasn't begging, she was offering him a deal that was in both their best interests. She had faith in her lord, but it was still a risk he was taking in continuing the duel. "I'm offering you your life," she said.

_In exchange for his._

She didn't see Shishio struggle to sit up behind her. Battousai had to watch as he caught her by surprise, and sunk his fangs into her neck, slender and exposed with her hair in a bun, from behind. It made Battousai uneasy and sick as he heard a moan escape her lips, Shishio sucking away at her life, as if he was witnessing some depraved sexual act that belongs behind closed doors. Yumi's head had fallen back onto Shishio's shoulder, her eyes closed and her face relaxed in an expression of bliss, her lord feeding hungrily from her throat. It was grotesque.

With a wet, sucking noise, Shishio pulled away and it dawned on Battousai that Yumi's heartbeat was too weak, her breathing too shallow, that she wasn't going to survive, and simultaneously that she was never meant to. Shishio had killed her to save himself, and that struck a cord somewhere deep inside Battousai.

"How could you do that? To the woman who loved you?" he accused, unable to think that Shishio might have loved her to.

Shishio's eyes snapped up at him, fire sparking violently in them.

"Don't talk to me as if you know anything about us. I understood her better than anyone else in this world, and she me," he said, a sincere warning in his voice. Then Yumi herself managed to speak, making both men look at her, her voice weak but shaking with joy.

"I'm so glad..." she said. "I could help...at last."

Shishio turned her face to his gently.

"Shh. I'll win this battle, your life has been invaluable to me," he said, and Battousai was shocked that he was capable of the level of tenderness that he heard in his voice.

"I'll be waiting, my love... One step ahead... In Hell..." Her eyes closed and her head flopped to the side as her last breath escaped her lips.

Battousai was shaking with a sense of injustice, his knuckles were white where they gripped his sword.

"How could you..." he said through gritted teeth, unable to finish that sentence. Shishio stood up, letting Yumi's body fall to the floor.

"She is passed from this world. There's no point in talking of her," Shishio replied, collecting his sword from the floor.

"You shall soon be joining her," Battousai said, his voice was steady but the look in his eyes was enough to make any man believe in Hell. He charged Shishio for one last time, but nothing had changed, they were still too evenly matched, and he couldn't win with the harmless sakabatou. He had to kill Shishio.

He swung at Shishio, distracting him, then he flashed across the room, leaping upwards to balance on the curtain rail of the window in whose range Shishio was standing. He slashed the thick heavy curtains with the cutting edge of his sword and they fell to the ground with a dusty _whump._ Sunlight flooded into the room, catching Shishio in its rays. His scream was bone-chilling, the scream of the eternally damned. He threw up his arms but his half-scorched body began to smoke like wet kindling. The candelabras that lined the walls sprung to life, giant flames danced and licked the walls. It was the same phenomenon as what had happened earlier when Battousai affected the air. He thrashed and staggered but he couldn't escape the flames that sprung to life on his body and spread to his clothes. He was engulfed in fire, swinging his arms as if trying to fight it off. Eventually he collapsed and the scream died in his throat. The silence that followed was worse. All that was left of Makoto Shishio was a charred crisp that vaguely resembled human form, still smoking as it lay in the pool of light.

Battousai was just about to begin the precarious job of descending from the curtain rail without getting fried himself when he became aware of harsh, fast breathing coming from somewhere in the room. He looked in the direction it was coming from and his eyes fell on Hoji, the human who had been with Shishio. Battousai had forgotten about him. Hoji's eyes were staring and wild, he looked like he was having a nervous breakdown. Suddenly, he reached into his pocket hurriedly, fumbling a little, and he pulled out the small revolver. Before Battousai could even open his mouth, a gunshot rang through the vast room and Hoji fell sideways into his own brains.

The noise of the gun woke Sano and he struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall and groaning. He walked forward, further into the room, and took in the state of things.

"Kenshin?" he called eventually, seeming finally realise that he was one body short.

"Here," Battousai called. He was looking down at the sunlight that stretched out in front of him, trying to savour the moment, commit everything from the colour to the faint touch of warmth he could feel to memory, because he knew he would never see it again.

"What'ya doin' up there?" said Sano, coming closer, and sounding puzzled. He stepped into the patch of sun and his eyes fell on Shishio's grilled remains. "Oh, I guess you're kinda stuck," he said. "Where's Saitoh?"

Battousai nodded at the prone form of his old nemesis. He was not a man to feel grief, but his respect for the wolf intensified. He had died in battle, the way he should have. Sano wandered over and peered down at him.

"You know, I don't think he's dead," he said. He turned his head and lowered his ear closer to the man's chest, his police uniform soaked in blood. "Yeah, he's breathing." Sano sighed in what sounded like disappointment, but surely wasn't. Battousai had to admit, he was not surprised Saitoh was stubborn enough to survive. Sano looked up at him as if for instructions, and seemed suddenly to understand his limitations at being unable to come near to them due to the sunlight. "Man, am I gonna have to carry this guy?!" he shouted, very much displeased with the way things were turning out.

Battousai didn't reply, he just turned in the direction of the door they had come in and began crossing the room using only the curtains rails. He could only trust that the sunlight didn't reach that far as he steadied himself, then jumped down. For a second, he waited for the pain to start, but nothing happened. Keeping as much as he could to the shadows, keeping his back to the wall, he crossed the room into the staircase lit only by lanterns. Once he knew he was safe, he stopped and waited for Sano, who appeared a moment after, Saitoh slung unconscious over his shoulder.

"Man, I'm gonna be eating through a straw for weeks," he said, the arm holding Saitoh in place also managing to clutch his many broken ribs and the other hand testing his jaw. "Do you hear a click?" he asked worriedly, but continued talking without waiting for a reply. "Jesus, I feel like I've been tickled with a chainsaw. And this guy ain't helping." He bounced Saitoh on his shoulder. "Heh, I wonder what Mr High-and-Mighty would say if he could see himself now. It's a good thing I'm already a werewolf, 'cause he is bleeding all over me. I'm gonna have to burn these clothes."

He looked at Battousai closely for the first time. He froze as he took in the colour of his eyes. "Oh," he said. "Battousai." He looked away, not talking anymore. Battousai had a sudden, uncharacteristic urge to say something and not let it seem that he was automatically off-limits.

"You fight well, Sagara," was the best he could come up with. Sano looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Thanks," he said eventually. "Though I'm pretty sure you were unconscious at the time."

Battousai had forgotten that, and he didn't really feel like explaining, but it was understood that it was the thought that counts.

"Hey, how come you're awake, anyway?" Sano continued as they started down the stairs.

"It's complicated, Kaoru will explain," Battousai said, settling for a promise of an explanation..

"Kaoru? What does she have to do with this?" asked Sano.

Battousai didn't answer. They had reached the bottom of the stairs and instead he asked,

"Is there sunlight in the room beyond?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll check," said Sano, still not used to the idea that the legendary hitokiri could have such an obvious weakness, and that during the day he was at a real disadvantage. He dumped Saitoh so that he was propped up against the wall, and disappeared through the door to the hall of the manor house. There _was_ sunlight, and Sano started closing all the curtains he could find, but he didn't finish because a giant, black SUV came crashing through the front doors. Sano ducked instinctively, and not with any small amount of pain, and parts of the wall slid across the floor. He heard the door open and a woman's voice shout,

"Kenshin?!"

Sano stood up.

"Kaoru?!" he called in amazement. She looked towards him.

"Sano, oh my God, are you alright? Where's Kenshin? Er, Battousai?" she said, rushing over and helping him over the wood and brick.

"He's in there." Sano jerked his thumb in the direction of the stairwell in which Battousai was still hiding. "Have you lost your mind?" he added, as his eyes fell on the SUV again, but Kaoru was already on her way over to the stairs.

As soon as she saw Battousai she just threw her arms around him and squeezed him in a hug that would have suffocated him had he needed to breathe.

"You're alright," she murmured, more to herself than to him. She peeled herself away and said, "I brought the car with the tinted windows to get you home."

**Author's Note** Everything after this is just an extended epilogue, so they'll probably be a longer break between this chapter and the next. I have a lot less time to write now, and I'm finding it more difficult to get the creative juices flowing, which is what caused the delay on this one. Thank you everyone who wished me luck for the convention! I do hope you're enjoying this, I am.


	22. The Epilogue part 1

**Author's note** Well, okay, sorry for the wait, but things have been kind of busy, but now the convention's over (it was great!) and I don't have to worry about my costume any more, I might, _might _be able to update more often. There was a lot of discussion between nebulia and I about this chapter, and I ended up having to write two extra pages to go on the end. But it was chapter 24 that really tripped me up (you know how I like to keep a buffer of chapters between what's published and what's being written) and I want it to be perfect for you guys. Can you guess what it is? But anyway, I think we've got it sorted out now, so cross your fingers, and you'll see chapter 23 in two weeks, at the earliest. Sorry guys.

Chapter 22

Megumi was very busy over the next few days. Sano alone required so many bandages that she had to express-order more. Plus, the fool wouldn't consent to a plaster cast on the grounds that he wouldn't be able to become a wolf with it, so Megumi just had to wrap twice as many bandages twice as tightly around his broken ribs and hand, which he had managed to damage again. But she got her revenge by tying the bandages off with a little bow where ever he couldn't see or couldn't reach.

She gave Kenshin a blood transfusion of a couple of pints just to speed up the healing process. He was gratifyingly grateful, possibly the only one who was. He thought it was amazing there was such a procedure that could replace feeding from humans, and asked if they could arrange for him to have transfusions on a regular basis.

Kenshin didn't seem to suffer any ill effects from being awake during the day. After staying up for the rest of the day and the night after that, he was unconscious as usual come dawn. Megumi wasn't exactly sure how it came to be that Kenshin had woken up during the day, and the details Kaoru gave her were sketchy, but she did understand that whatever it was, it was between Kenshin and Kaoru.

Saitoh was in a coma for a day and a half. He too required a blood transfusion. Megumi had to reassure Tokio several times that it was natural for a wolf who was seriously injured to go into a deep sleep to heal himself. And indeed, when he did wake up, he was well enough to be discharged, though still not a hundred percent. But he was being so crabby and uncooperative that Megumi thought it was best to just give him what he wanted.

"You're one lucky wolf, Saitoh," Megumi said, as he sat on the edge of his hospital bed, quickly tying his laces, eager to be gone. He just grunted in reply, but Megumi was used to it. "Hoji was said to be an amazing marksman. And you were shot at basically point blank range. I don't understand how he could have missed your heart."

Saitoh stood up and held out his hand for his jacket. It was blood-stained and had a very noticeable bullet hole in it, but he wasn't going to leave it behind. Megumi moved to give it to him, but stopped and examined the inside, right over where his heart would be. She was frowning, but then she smiled knowingly and handed the jacket to him.

"Or maybe it wasn't luck at all that diverted that bullet by the inch that saved your life," she said.

Saitoh, not understanding what she meant, looked at the black lining himself. At first, he couldn't see what she was talking about, but as he held it against the light, he could make out shapes in his blood. They stood out in a slightly different shade or texture than the dried blood that stiffened the fabric, like water over candle wax. Saitoh may not have had any magical training, but he recognized runes when he saw them, and one of them looked suspiciously like the one for love.

Tokio.

He had left his jacket in her apartment before he fought Shishio, when she had unexpectedly sent him on an errand for aspirin. He crushed the jacket in his fist, furious. So, she thought she could cast spells on him, make him love her? He should have expected this, he should have known better than to even consider romancing a witch. But now it looked like they had never been his own feelings at all. Who knew how long this had been going on? Possibly before they had even met.

Well, Saitoh Hajime was nobody's fool.

He stormed past a startled Megumi without another word. Fury, white hot and blinding, guided him to her door. It coursed through his veins and covered the hurt he was feeling. He was most angry at himself, for ever being in this position, and he hated her for that. Saitoh Hajime should have known better than to ever entertain thoughts for a witch. He had always been better off on his own, by himself. He had been legendary. No woman should be able to change that in him. No woman should ever have reason to think that she could.

He slammed into the door, breaking it open, without knocking. Tokio immediately rushed into the room.

"Saitoh! What's- Ow!" He had seized her arm, too enraged to be able to feel how close he was to breaking it. He knew he was strong enough to sever it with that one hand if he wanted to, yet he barely spared a thought to controlling himself. With the other hand he thrust his jacket between them, shaking it accusingly.

"You think you can cast spells on me, witch?! You think your magic can trap me?!" he shouted.

At the sight of the jacket, Tokio had frozen, but at the harshness and hatred in his voice, she came to life.

"What? Saitoh, no, I never meant to _trap_ you! It's not that kind of spell!" she cried, shaking her head and looking into his eyes imploringly.

"Don't lie to me, I recognize the rune for love! I bet your whole clan was in on this. After all, what better husband for the grand-daughter of a Shinsengumi alpha than the Mibu Wolf?"

"Saitoh, it's not like that! That's not what the spell is for at all! The love rune just makes it stronger, I put it on your jacket to protect you. I'm not trying to make you fall in love with me! I can prove what the other runes mean if you'll let me," said Tokio.

Amazingly, Saitoh let her go after a moment's consideration, and she went quickly to bedroom to retrieve her book of rune-magic. She laid it out on the nearest table and tentatively prised the jacket from his white-knuckled fist. She laid that out too, next to the book, with the runes clearly visible. Then she started flicking through pages.

"This first one is for protection, and the one after that means 'wolf.'" She ran her finger along the spell as she next spoke. "Protect the wolf that I..." She stopped suddenly and looked away from him. "Love," she finished. She felt Saitoh withdraw from looking over her shoulder. "If you love me, Saitoh, it's not because I cast a spell on you," she said.

She heard the front door open and close again, and she looked up to an empty room.

ooo

It was Christmas morning and Kaoru hadn't been this excited about it since she was a child. It had never really made sense to decorate an apartment that housed only one person, ditto for buying a tree. Any gifts that were bought were exchanged during the course of the working day. But this year she had gone all out, and was convinced she had the prettiest, most full-bodied and best decorated tree in the whole complex. Kenshin had helped her buy everything and put it in place, obviously unfamiliar with the holiday, but eager to go along with something that made Kaoru happy.

And what made Kaoru happy this year was not the promise of receiving gifts, oh no, this year it was the hefty pile she had to give. They sat under the tree, wrapped and ribboned personally, though maybe not particularly well, with a touch more sellotape than necessary, but it warmed her heart to see them. Kenshin, of course, had no idea what was about to be bestowed on him. He understood that it was customary to give and receive gifts at Christmas, but he just assumed Kaoru had a lot more friends than he knew about, and that he might possibly receive one token gift at the most. When he had mentioned giving Kaoru a gift himself to her, she had protested fiercely, claiming that he was the best gift he could ever have given her.

Kaoru was ecstatic when she first hit on the plan of showing Kenshin just how much he meant to her by giving him presents. Why argue with a time-honoured tradition? And at what better time to do it than Christmas? Her very secret government job as the leader of the Dojo paid obscenely well, and until now all that money had just been piling up in her bank account. It felt good to put it to a good use.

She awoke a little earlier than usual an immediately threw back the covers and ran into the living room, just to check that the presents were still there, then she ran back. Kenshin was still asleep, so she leaned over him impatiently, as if hoping for some kind of digital read-out counting down to the moment when he'd wake up. Finding none, she pouted restlessly and moved round to sit cross-legged on her side of the bed, watching him and chewing on her lip while bouncing her knees.

The minutes crawled by slowly, Kaoru checking the clock every ten seconds, after about thirty of which she decided she might as well go and get herself some breakfast. She then returned to her position on the bed, crunching her cereal loudly in the silence of the room. The bowl was finished by the time Kenshin woke up. Almost exactly when his eyes opened, Kaoru cried out excitedly,

"You're awake! Get up!" and she shoved him hard, accidentally pushing him right off the bed with a thump, and only his hand still clutching the sheets left visible. But Kaoru was already gone, sitting on the floor next to the tree with a present in her hands.

"Open your present!" she said, grinning widely, holding it out as Kenshin emerged, dazed, from the bedroom. He knelt next to her, sitting with his feet under him, and he took the parcel. He still looked a little stirred from his fall, but he pulled the bow undone and slid off the ribbon. He then removed the wrapping paper neatly and pulled out the box inside. It was small, like the box jewellery would come in. He lifted the lid. Inside was a key with a round, black key ring. He picked them out and examined them, confused as to what it was meant to open.

"Thank you very much, Kaoru-dono," he said politely.

"They're car keys! The car itself is sitting in the garage as we speak," said Kaoru, leaning forward slightly.

"But... I can't drive," said Kenshin, worried that he would upset her.

"I know, I thought I could teach you."

"Oh, well, thank you, indeed, Kaoru-dono, I would enjoy that," he replied, finally understanding the gift. Kaoru hurriedly reached the next nearest one.

"Now open this one," she said, pushing it towards him. Kenshin was a little uncomfortable at being given all these presents, but he opened every one she handed him, because she was smiling so earnestly he couldn't raise any objection. Over the next quarter of an hour, he acquired, on top of the car, a cell phone, a professional kit for cleaning and caring for antique swords – It had never occurred to him that his sakabatou was an _antique _– and a whole new wardrobe consisting of a mix of gis and hakamas, but also jeans, designer slacks and all kinds of shirts. He was quite blown away by his haul, and was finally about to mention the excessiveness of Kaoru's generosity, when she shoved a large white envelope into his hands. He decided to keep his mouth shut a moment longer with a sigh, and opened the envelope. It looked like a form of some sort.

"It's a job application," said Kaoru, drawing his attention away from the sheet. "I know you're not going to like me getting you all these presents and you living here for free, but I thought, if you were on the payroll, it would be alright." Her smile had vanished and she bit her lip nervously, obviously worried he'd take it the wrong way. He didn't like to be the cause of her smile ending. He looked back at the application. "Officially, you'd be a consultant and an enforcer. Just being a vampire qualifies you as a consultant, since you'd know more about it than any of us, and you've already saved the lives of me and my friends several times over, so that's the enforcer part. And if you want, I can say it's freelance, so I wouldn't really be your boss or anything." Kenshin looked at her.

"I accept the position, it would be a pleasure to be of any help," he said. And it was true, he did feel better now about the situation.

There were still a few presents under the tree, but there was an air of finality about the job application, so Kenshin stood up again, ready to find homes for all his new stuff. He had just turned his back on Kaoru, heading back to the bedroom, when she called him back.

"Um, Kenshin? There is one more present." He turned around to see her standing looking timidly at a package in her hands, wrapped in gold paper with a tasteful black ribbon wrapped twice around it. "It's for Battousai," she said, obviously unsure whether to give it to him or not. He knew how she felt. Even he couldn't predict how the hitokiri would react to a Christmas present. He was pretty sure he wouldn't react badly to not getting one at all, and perhaps it was safer not to try, but if Kaoru had put even one half of the thought into this gift as she had into the rest of them, she would be hurt if he didn't at least take it.

He had to admit, it surprised him too that she would get a present for Battousai. He couldn't see why anyone would do anything other than hate and fear the hitokiri. But he decided that the best course of action would be to open the present himself, so there would be no surprises. He wasn't planning on voluntarily releasing the Battousai, but recently he had been forced to accept that his will power alone was no longer enough to keep him confined. Sooner or later, Battousai would be out, but Kenshin could at least trust _himself_ to look grateful for Kaoru.

He accepted the gift without a word and unwrapped it likewise. A plain white box, fairly large, but shallow, was inside. He removed the lid and let it drop to the floor on top of the paper. It was a gi, charcoal black with shining gold dragons twisting fiercely on the hanging sleeves. It looked well-made and expensive.

"Thank you, Kaoru-dono," he said. "It's very nice."

"You're welcome, Kenshin," Kaoru replied, but she still looked nervous, and even a little sad, and there was something in her voice that said giving it to Kenshin was not the same as giving it straight to Battousai. Kaoru had meant the gi to mean something, that there were no hard feelings, and that he was welcome in her life, just the way he was. Something had happened in her when she had been in his head. She had had to accept him then, and find value in him, before she could have brought him to life again, and now, weeks later, those feelings were still there.

"Anyway, I have to make rounds and check on everything. Will you be alright here?" Kaoru said, this time forcing a smile. Kenshin was used to coming with her whenever she had to work, but he took the hint and didn't say anything about it, he just forced his own smile and told her that he was happy to stay behind, and that he would probably just make a start on dinner, insisting that he do something to repay her for all the gifts. He was happy to do it. Kaoru just nodded and walked past him into the bedroom to get dressed.

ooo

It was hours later that Kaoru came back to her apartment. She'd been to see all her friends and invited everyone for a Christmas meal at the end of the night. At first, no-one had seemed too eager, until she had mentioned that Kenshin would be cooking and not her, and after a little convincing of how good the vampire's cooking really was, they agreed and everyone went away with a smile on their faces. Yahiko was especially certain of having attention lavished on him, fully intending to milk the fact that he was closest of them all to a child and had recently spent a couple of days in the infirmary. Though since Tsubame was going to be there, he might not exaggerate the child part.

But as her front door came into view, she was reminded of her situation. She was trying to befriend an actively hostile and unstable man, while in love with his other personality, who probably suspected that her interest in the killer in him was more than self-defence. Her happy mood was stifled, but she wouldn't let herself become depressed about it, and she opened the door determined to let things run their course and not force anything.

But the sight that met her eyes surprised her.

Battousai – she could tell by the high ponytail he wore and the hardened set of his features – was standing in front of the mirror and wearing the gi she had bought him. He didn't look up as she came in and at first she didn't say anything either, she just closed the door behind her and walked further into the room. The strong smell of delicious cooking filled the room and she could hear a faint bubbling coming from the kitchen.

"It looks good on you," she said eventually. It was true, the black set off his white skin and gave it an extra luminescence, an ethereal quality that made Kaoru think of glowing porcelain. His violently red hair spilled down the back in loose tresses like a waterfall of blood. The gold dragons, intended to match the gold light of his eyes that she had seen in his mind, sparked out from the darkness of the fabric and appeared to be writhing in flight as he moved his arms, and gave him a regal air that she thought he'd appreciate. It was altogether a very impressive and powerful picture he created. Kaoru suddenly thought of the picture in the old book Megumi had showed her when she had first found out that Kenshin and Hitokiri Battousai were one and the same. It seemed like forever ago, but seeing him like that now, she truly felt herself in the presence of the king of the supernatural world.

"The pink was never my choice," he said, referring to Kenshin's customary magenta gi. He did not thank her for her compliment, instead he turned away from the mirror and looked towards her. Kaoru suddenly felt awkward, terribly aware that the last time she had seen him was the day he beat Shishio. She had got the impression he had been avoiding her. On the other hand, this might be the opportunity she'd been waiting for to break the ice with him. Summoning up all the courage and self-confidence she could muster, she stepped closer to him and, making her harmless intentions clear by her body language, she rested her hand on his shoulder and ran it down his bicep, feeling the fabric of the new gi.

She kept her hand on his arm when she next looked at his eyes, applying a gentle pressure and receiving a thrill from the knowledge of the muscles beneath her fingers. His eyes appeared softer than usual; though still wary, there was a fragile want in them that made her yearn to close the distance between them fully and explore the rest of him. But then they hardened in a snap, and he drew away from her harshly, her hand falling limp by her side.

"This doesn't change anything. We are not _friends_. What happened between us when I reached out to you was an act of necessity, and it will not happen again," he said coldly.

Kaoru was hurt, but not surprised. She knew any progress with him would be slow. He was very much a hitokiri, in nature as well as in name. But she wasn't fooled either. She was certain that, however true the words were, he only said them to protect himself. She had seen the loneliness in his eyes. It was easy for him to be alone when he was feared, if not enjoyable even, but now that she had made him unable to take lives, he had lost his footing in the world and his sense of identity was shaken. It was to be expected that he would take it out on her. It had been the same in the alley, when he had held her off the ground by her neck. He was frustrated and deeply unsettled by what was happening to him, waking up in a different world and placed at the mercy of a human girl.

And it only made him angrier that he didn't hate her for it.

Maybe it was only the Rurouni's love seeping through to him, but there was a part of him that wanted to treasure her. It was not in his nature to fawn, or even to openly express any kind of kindness or compassion, but he would claim her as his to possess and protect, she would deny him nothing, and in return, he would be the most powerful force she would ever know. He would show her everything that he was, welcome her into the darkest part of him, and all she would be able to do would be love him.

But the vast majority of him, the thinking part, didn't want that at all. It recoiled in horror at the thought of ever being anything other than what he had been a century ago. He would _not _stay in this apartment with her in obscurity, she would only be a weakness to him. He did not share his power, he stood alone at the top of the food chain.

But Kaoru was convinced that he just needed a little reassuring, and he would come round eventually.

"That's a shame. I have nothing against you, Battousai, and if Kenshin and I are going to stay together, it seems we should probably try to get along," she said. He continued to scowl at her. "I don't see why that should be impossible," she persisted.

"_I_ do not intend to stay here. I'm not going to be your pet," he answered.

"I'm not asking you to be, and as long as I've forbidden you to kill, what reason do you have to leave? You won't be able to return to your bloody reign of this city."

That seemed to be a step too far because he snarled and started towards her, catching her by the arm and holding her tightly in front of him. The top she was wearing was sleeveless, and the skin on skin contact sent a harsh jolt of electricity through her, and before she knew what she was doing, she was kissing him. It was as if she had simply fallen forward against him, but there was too much passion for that. She could feel the press of his long canines against her lips and she burst with longing to run her tongue between them, but before she could, the kiss was over. It only lasted a split second before Battousai let her go with a spasm of revulsion, stumbling away from her in furious surprise. The moment their contact was broken, Kaoru was herself again. She stared at him as he glared fiery daggers back at her.

"That wasn't me," she said, unable to keep the amazement out of her voice.

"What are you talking about?" Battousai said back, his usually seductive tones twisting like a tortured snake with emotion.

"That wasn't me. I didn't want to do that. I mean... You touched me, and I just... did it," Her body was beginning to feel chilled and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

"Are you implying that I wanted this?" He sounded insulted, and still absolutely furious.

"Well... Maybe there's more to what's binding us than we thought..." She trailed off as she looked at him, crouched defensively, and she saw the horror that came with understanding of what she meant.

There was a knock at the door, distracting them. It looked like her dinner guests were early.

Kaoru went to open the door after a suspended moment. The guests froze at the sight of Battousai, standing cold and intimidating where Kaoru had left him. The children did not share the adults' discomfort. Tsubame had no idea who she was facing, but she hung back, taking her cues from the others and the look of warning in Battousai's stance. Yahiko knew the difference between Kenshin and Battousai, but as with most things, he didn't respect it; he couldn't grasp the magnitude of what the Hitokiri represented. And Kaoru was obviously okay with him, though there was the feeling they had just interrupted something rather private. Yahiko took it upon himself to be the bravest, as he saw it, and marched straight up to Battousai once he got over the initial shock.

"You're Hitokiri Battousai, aren't you?" he said curtly. Battousai merely eyed the child before him, his face expressionless, while he decided whether or not it was beneath him to answer. Kaoru was silently praying that he wouldn't try to hurt Yahiko, though for some reason she trusted him not to. She supposed it was because he could gain no advantage, and he would still see Yahiko as a child. He was too self-righteous to hurt him.

"Yes," he answered at last, just before Kaoru was going to step in. She was struck again by how different his voice was from Kenshin's, yet how similar. It was deeper, darker, more like the night, but it was still just another side to the same coin. Battousai was the wild wolf, dangerous and merciless in its survival, whereas Kenshin was the husky, still strong, still beautiful, but only dangerous in its loyalty.

"I'm Yahiko Myoujin, my father was a samurai too," he said, and he inclined his head in a restrained bow, but he kept his eyes on Battousai, who, after a second, nodded brusquely in return.

"Excuse me," he said, and turned on his heel, retreating to the bedroom and shutting the door, leaving silence in his wake.

"I don't know what you were all so scared of," said Yahiko after a moment, turning to face the adults in the doorway, his hands insolently on his hips.

"So, is Kenshin cooking or not?" asked Sano, obviously ready to make a break for it.

"Dinner's already started, Sano," answered Kaoru, wondering after the vampire hidden in her bedroom. Her eyes rested tenaciously on the door. Suddenly it opened and Kenshin walked out, back in his familiar magenta gi, tying his hair back in its old low ponytail.

"I apologise. Shall I start setting the table?" He walked briskly to the kitchen with his back to them and that was all that was said on the matter of what had just happened. The others were understandably unsettled by the world's most notorious vampire going into a room and emerging moments later as the rurouni, by they hid it well with their enthusiasm over the food.

ooo

The dinner party had gone well. It was like nothing Kenshin had ever experienced, yet it was so simple. A room full of friends, talking loudly and teasing each other, laughing uproariously in unison with each other. It had lasted for hours, everyone staying for hours after the food was gone, and it was late by the time they left. The women hugged, Yahiko got his hair ruffled, and Kenshin received a heavy slap on the back from Sano, whom a full stomach made friendly and forgiving. Perhaps they could be friends yet.

Kaoru was tired, but she was still too excited to go to bed. She came out from the bathroom smiling, her hair tied back, wearing her pyjamas; loose, silky things, a combination of harem pants and a string top. Kenshin was busying himself with clearing up in the kitchen. She walked up behind him and kissed his cheek, leaning on his shoulder.

"Thanks for dinner, it was great." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his back as he smiled lightly at her compliment. "Where did you learn to cook like that? I mean, no offence, but you don't really seem the type," she asked.

"I'm not sure I remember," Kenshin replied, continuing to pile up plates on the table. "I suppose Hiko taught me, though where he learned I cannot guess." Kaoru could hear a pleasant lilt in his voice, but it could easily have been part of his Rurouni mask, shielding her from his true emotions.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," she said, loosening her hold on him and beginning to draw away. He stopped clearing up and turned in her arms to face her.

"No, Kaoru-dono, I want you to feel able to ask me anything," he said, securing her hands around him. His expression now was earnest, serious. Kaoru found herself wondering at the colour of his eyes, so unlike anything she had ever seen. She was sure they would forever fascinate her.

"Is it hard for you, not remembering?" she asked before she could really stop herself.

"Sometimes," said Kenshin, smiling sadly and raising his hand to her cheek. "When I think of you and how precious your life and humanity are to me, of course I wonder about my own. But then I remember that I was not a good person, and I am sure that it is better this way, that I was able to become a rurouni and repent for my sins, and that I could meet you, and have happiness in my life again."

He let his hand drop and Kaoru hugged him tighter, burying her face in his shoulder. The bare skin of his neck brushed hers and a chill tickled across her cheek, but she only hugged him tighter. She wanted him to never have even the memory of unhappiness, she loved him too dearly for that. He was more important to her than her own life, she would sacrifice anything for him. It hurt sometimes, to love him so much, but it was a small price to pay, and tiny compared to all he had suffered under his own guilt and loneliness. She wished she could empty him of those feelings into herself; she would gladly bear them for him.

She turned and kissed his neck, then brushed a line upwards with the tip of her nose as she pulled away, and found Kenshin watching her carefully. For a suspended moment, their eyes met, and a world of desire and hesitation passed between them. But then she pressed her lips to his, gently and briefly, testing him. She was glad when his lips sought hers as she pulled away, and went back to him, kissing him harder than before and holding onto his waist. Kenshin put his hand on her hip and turned them so that now she had the table behind her. Kaoru loved the moments like these, when Kenshin acted on how he felt, and not what he thought was right. Of course she admired his strong morals and his dedication to them, but if left to that then she would be awfully lonely. But she could feel it in the way he touched her that he was acting less as the rurouni and more as the man. Kaoru almost wished for a mirror so that she could see it on his face, how he looked when he was pursuing happiness with that same aggressive dedication.

He lifted her suddenly onto the table, and took his place between her knees. She smiled into their kiss and wrapped her legs around him, drawing herself closer to him. Kenshin moved from her mouth to her neck, nestling deep into her hair, and she tilted her head back to accommodate him, making her skin tighter and more sensitive. His kisses strayed across her shoulder, his hand coming up from her back to push her top out of the way. It was loose and went easily. All Kaoru could see was the spill of his scarlet hair stretching away from her.

Kenshin leaned them backwards, beginning to kiss downwards over her breast. Kaoru was surprised at how forward he was being, not that she objected. It was much more dominant than usual. A shock of ice startled her as his hand slipped under her shirt to massage her stomach. Was this going to be their first night together as a couple? Was Kenshin going to take this all the way? Kaoru had thought about it, though not in great depth, and she knew that should the moment come, she would be ready. She would love to be close to him in that way, to know him that way. She let him continue, only tightening her hold on him.

His mouth passed briefly over her neck before meeting her lips again. They kissed deeply, their tongues playing together. Kaoru loved feeling his fangs graze the side of her tongue, and whenever that happened, his sensitive canines throbbed with the vibrations. It was a much more arousing action than Kaoru realised, and Kenshin couldn't help but kiss her harder. He wanted to sink into her, to feel nothing other than her warmth, hear nothing but her breathing.

Kaoru became aware of a faint rocking motion between them as they each tried to pull the other closer, though they were already as close as they could get. Kaoru could smell his cheek under her nose, a sweet scent without being sugary, and as fresh as winter wind. She slid her hands around his neck under his ears, holding his jaw and feeling it move as he kissed her. He shivered, as if the heat from her palms affected his cold body the way cold temperatures affected her, but he didn't remove her hands. His knuckles brushed over her breast, then he cupped her through the silk of her top, pressing rhythmically and making her breath come faster.

He broke away from her suddenly to speak, his hand falling away and he withdrew the rest of himself from her embrace.

"I have to finish clearing the table," he said. Kaoru was expecting maybe a proposal of moving to the bedroom, and she couldn't believe she'd heard him correctly. But when he walked away from her to the other side of the table and started collecting knives and forks, she had to believe him. She could only sit where he'd left her, numb and mute, until eventually she wandered off into the bedroom. She was confused as to what had just happened. Surely, he hadn't been _that_ concerned by the dishes, but why make up an excuse to get away from her? That prospect hurt _a lot_. She crawled under the covers angry, with the intention of ignoring him totally when he came in, but she fell asleep before he did.


	23. The First Change

Chapter 23

It was the full moon. The first since she had been infected. Megumi's joints had been hurting all day, but it got a lot worse when night fell. She hadn't taken the day off, she didn't want to look weakened by what she was going through. Now she sat in her apartment, her head resting on the back of the couch with her eyes closed and a perpetual frown creating a crease between her eyebrows. She had a headache now to boot.

She felt the couch dip as Sano sat next to her. He'd been living with her the past few days, just on the off chance that she lost control and hurt herself or others. She hadn't approved; she had always prided herself on being independent, she didn't need a babysitter. Denial: it ain't just a river in Egypt.

"Here,"Sano handed her a large glass filled with water and dissolved pain medication, which she downed in one go and handed back to him. She could feel his eyes on her but she didn't want to talk. There was nothing left to say, they had already gone over everything. It was like planning a birth, the mother could choose what the father would be doing, where it would take place, how, but not when. She just had to suffer in silence as they waited for the baby to decide to show.

Megumi had opted for her appartement as the setting. She wanted to be close to the familiar things, she wanted the privacy. She could lie on her own bed, and pop as many aspirin as she wanted without any doctor but herself telling her she'd had enough. The other option was the sparse woods outside of town, the closest thing available to a wolf's natural habitat. But during the full moon it was likely to be heavily populated by the city's pack wolves, territorial and dangerous for a first-timer. But fun, according to Sano.

She'd asked to be left alone while the actual physical transformation was taking place. Megumi could imagine that it wasn't a pretty sight, and it was likely to be slow and very painful. She was too proud and too vain to allow any kind of audience for that, even Sano. Then Sano would spend a little time talking to her, looking her over as he insisted on doing for some reason, and make his change himself. With another wolf around, he said it would be easier for her to be at ease and get in touch with her inner wolf.

This was, of course, all banking on the assumption that Sano wouldn't be forced to change before her. Apparently, the time that a wolf's change happened against his or her will was different for every werewolf, and even different between months. But Sano said that even if that happened, it might work out alright, as her own change might be triggered by him changing nearby.

Megumi couldn't bear to go over the plan in her mind again. It was as if she'd spent the past month studying for an important exam, and now was the night before when you just don't want to think about it. Sano had done his best to prepare her, told her everything that he could think of that she might need or want to know. There were times when she was deeply grateful for his care. But at this moment she couldn't think past the headache.

The skin on her forearms started to itch and she scratched them through her shirt. Sano took hold of her arm and pulled it closer to him, rolling up the sleeves. Megumi watched in absolute horror as short, bristly black hair was revealed to her. She snatched her arm away and quickly rolled down her sleeve again.

"Well, it's a good sign that it's started. It's better to get it over with, though it'll probably be a while yet. You might want to get changed, just in case it takes you by surprise," said Sano. Megumi's mood plumbed new depths as she left to take his advice. She went from being crabby and irritable to sad and afraid. She undressed in her bedroom. Normally she stood in front of a full-length mirror, but she couldn't stand the sight of herself tonight as she pulled her shirt over her head and saw the black fur sprouting all over her body. It covered her forearms, there was a thick line down her stomach and one between her shoulder blades that ran all down her back. Her legs, too, were similarly afflicted. Once all her clothes had been safely removed, she threw on her dressing gown and went back out to Sano, quickly checking her face for any signs of a beard.

The itchy growth of fur spread over her body for the next thirty minutes, and she pulled her collar up higher and her sleeves over her hands. Sano kept trying to convince her he didn't think anything of it, but it wasn't just him, what she was turning into didn't match with how Megumi thought of _herself_. Her headache had subsided though, a small blessing.

It reached the point that Megumi thought she was ready to be left alone. The fur was advancing further than she could hide, and she didn't want Sano to see the rest. But when she stood up, there was a audible crack, and she suddenly felt as though her finger had been broken. She collapsed back onto the sofa with a cry of pain, cradling her hand. She looked, and her finger was bent at a funny angle, unnatural, but the pain was fading very quickly. But then a blast of pain came from her other hand instead, with another snap, and that finger too dislodged itself. Megumi watched, half-amazed, half-dismayed, as all her fingers began to pop by themselves into the same inhuman angle. Tears were in her eyes from the pain, and she cradled her hands close to her stomach.

"Do you want to go into the bedroom?" asked Sano, remembering the plan, his own eyes on her twitching fingers. Megumi could only nod, and whimpered in self-pity. She could hardly walk as it was, she seemed to have lost the co-ordination required for walking on two legs, and her back didn't want to straighten out, keeping her bent over at her hips, so Sano supported her. He got them to the bed, where Megumi curled over again, her shoulders close to her knees.

"Just say when you want me to go," he said, keeping his arm around her shoulders.

"Please," Megumi managed to bite out through gritted teeth. Sano nodded and left her, thoughtfully closing the door behind him. She struggled out of her dressing gown, having trouble because of her fingers' new alignement, and her shoulders didn't want to bend behind her. But she got it off, and crawled miserbly under the covers, trying her best to ignore the changes her body had undergone.

Outside, Sano was suffering too. He was being reminded of his own first full moon, alone on the streets. The pain, the confusion and loneliness it had brought him. He was reliving it more vividly than he had done in decades. He'd been living rough back then, a run-away and an orphan, surviving on his fists alone. Uneducated, he'd done his best to treat the injuries he'd received the month before from some wild animal. He'd reasoned that it couldn't have been a wolf, not in Tokyo, and wolves didn't come that big. This had had to have been some kind of specially-bred fighting dog. Like a cross between a doberman and a husky. He just thought he was lucky when the wounds were gone in two weeks.

He remembered how cold it had been as he'd stumbled through the back-streets, scared and confused by what was happening to him, by the fur and the fire in his bones. He'd just made up his mind to go to hospital, weighing his life against the medical bills he couldn't afford, when the transformation had gone too far for him to move. That first time, he stayed in the alley. The pain was gone and that was enough, he lay still, refusing to acknowledge that he was now a wolf. He kept his four legs and tail tucked in out of his sight, and when the wind tugged at his ears on top of his head, he just screwed up his eyes and thought of something else.

It was pretty soon after that that Captain Souzou Sagara had found him and convinced him to take a walk with him. Sano ended up joining the Sekihoutai, who taught him how to accept what he was, how being a werewolf could be an advantage, and about the fun you could have once you'd learned to control your changes. Katsu was the only other teenager there, and they instantly became friends. Katsu had no parents either, his dad had walked out when he was three and his mother wasn't even worth mentioning, spending what little money they had on booze and drugs. Even so, Katsu never let anyone speak ill of her.

He was two years younger than Sano, but had more experience as a wolf. And while Sano's innate strength let him master him in fights, he always respected Katsu. They used to run around together, Sano chasing Katsu's wagging tail through the forest, the younger wolf being as fast as Sano was strong. Those were probably the best years of Sano's life. He had a home there, surrounded by friends and people who understood him, and only wanted to help him. He never found out for sure who it was that had affected him, but there was a pack-wolf at the time who had a reputation for being careless, not to mention obnoxious and arrogant.

The Bakumatsu was going on around their ears, but Captain Sagara kept it from touching their camp. As the time went on, he became more and more involved in the war effort, and had less and less time for any R 'n' R. And then the vampires betrayed them, and the rest is history, just a bitter taste in Sano's mouth.

But as he sat on the floor against the wall outside Megumi's room, listening to her cry as every bone in her body rearranged itself into the shape of a wolf, with loud cracks and pops, the big ones as loud as a door slamming, he suffered. He knew the first time was always the hardest, and that they wouldn't all be like this, but he couldn't escape the fact that this was his fault. Every time she screamed with the agony, it ground the guilt further into him. He was the one putting her through this.

Eventually, the noises turned away from a woman in anguish to the sounds of a wolf. He could no longer hear her body changing, and total silence followed after a moment. Sano got stiffly to his feet, only realising as he moved how tense he had been. The silence scared him away, made him hesitate to open the door. He knew he would find a wolf on the other side, not the beautiful woman he knew. He thought he had accepted that fact, and he knew perfectly well that it didn't change who she was inside. He was a wolf too, after all. He'd seen people change from human to wolf and back again before, and people he knew too, like Katsu. He knew from his own personal experience that your body didn't affect the mind inside. And she might be suffering, he'd promised to take care of her.

He knocked first, not wanting to take her by surprise, then he entered. At first, all he could see was a bundle in the covers. He sat on the bed next to her.

"Hey," he said quietly, resting his hand on the mound under the covers. He could feel the rise and fall of her breathing. He stroked his hand down her back. "Let's take a look at you," he said. He drew the covers back slowly, giving her every opportunity to protest, but she kept silent and still. First, the end of her muzzle appeared, her wet black nose, the her large brown eyes, staring at him vunerably, then the rest of her. "You look good," he said earnestly.

It was true, the wolf in the bed was a fine specimen. Her fur was sleek and black, like her hair. Her legs were tucked under her, and her bushy tail lay straight out behind her as if she didn't know it was there. She had fine, fox-like features, anybody would have thought she was an especially attractive animal. She would be the one taken home from the pound. But she had an abused look about her, she was still scared. Sano couldn't blame her.

He stroked her again, and did his best to smile at her.

"Come on, beautiful. Sit up for me," he said. Megumi obviously understood, and she pushed herself awkwardly into a sitting position by straightening her front legs. It didn't come naturally to her yet, and she had had to think about how to coordinate the movement. She started to cry, a whimpering, keening noise, and that just made her feel worse.

"Don't cry, it's not that bad," he said soothingly as he started checking that her transformation was complete and that nothing had gone wrong. He lifted her paws and looked at them, he checked her teeth and ears, which were far from perky but perfectly healthy. He tried to do it as quickly and inobtrusively as he could, and when he was satisfied that they had nothing to worry about, he rubbed her shoulders excitedly and looked into her eyes.

"So what do you want to do now?" he asked. Megumi pointed her nose at a large mirror that hung on the wall. Sano got it down for her, but he propped it up against the wall to encourage her off the bed. Megumi didn't seem to notice the ruse, and she stood up on the bed, but when it came to jumping down, she hesitated, and it became clear she couldn't do it yet.

"You're over-thinking, your body knows how to work itself," offered Sano, but she just looked at him balefully, obviously on the point of another depressed stupor, so he quickly snatched her up and put her down on the floor. She was at least twice the size of a normal wolf, but Sano was strong enough. He could carry his own body-weight several times over. Megumi approached the mirror tentatively. Sano squatted next to her, his hand on her back.

"See what a pretty wolf you are?" he said, smiling. Megumi didn't look convinced. She lifted each of her paws in turn, and swished her tail a few times. She turned to see herself from different angles and opened her mouth to show lines of sharp teeth. She stuck out her long pink tongue, then quickly shut her mouth again, not liking it. She looked at Sano and put her paw on his leg, pushing insistently.

"What? What do you want?" Sano knew it was useless, and probably frustrating, to ask, but it was instinctive. Megumi turned her face towards the mirror, then back to him, prodding him with her nose. "Oh, my turn now? Okay."

He stood up and walked through to the next room to change. He'd been a wolf a lot longer, his changes were easy and quick, and he walked back into the bedroom a moment later as a big, chocolate-coloured wolf. But Megumi seemed intimidated by him now, since he was larger, and they had now lost the half-communication they had had before. She'd never been scared of him before when he was in wolf form and she was human. It pained Sano to have her think of him that way, so he did his best to put her at ease by making himself look stupid.

He flopped down into a sitting position, crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Megumi just looked incredibly startled. Next he rolled over, first one way then the other, wriggling a lot as he went. He looked up from the ground, and Megumi just looked down at him disdainfully, having realized that he was just being an idiot like usual, and not having some kind of fit. Pleased, he leapt up and chased his tail furiously, and he managed to catch the end between his teeth. Unfortunately, he had made himself dizzy, and he tottered over into chest of drawers.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and when he opened his eyes he saw Megumi had come over, having apparently forgotten her earlier wariness. She may have been a wolf, but Sano could still read the familiar pained expression in her eyes that he'd seen a million times when she thought he was being particularly immature. He was glad to see it there.

He got slowly to his feet and their muzzles were suddenly very close together. He stepped a little closer to her, still feeling a little mischievous and foolish, and gave her a quick lick on the end of her nose. Megumi wheeled away from him, snorting and burying her nose in her front paws, dabbing at it. She glared at him from the corner of her eye, and he laughed internally.

He approached her again, this time moving his nose all down her side, inhaling her new scent. The smell of her had changed slowly over the past month, becoming less human, but it still wasn't the same as when she was in wolf-form. He felt his instincts stirring as he smelled her; she wasn't the first female wolf he'd ever come across, but she was the first he'd been sleeping with. He felt her own nose poke him clumsily in the side as she followed his lead and memorised his scent. It seemed an intimate and affectionate thing for her to do, and he reciprocated by burying his nose under her hip-joint. She moved away, not yet comfortable with recognizing him as her lover while they were in wolf-form.

He turned and found her face, and licked along her muzzle and neck lovingly. She whined and bit him on the tail. He headbutted her shoulder and pulled his tail out of reach, looking at her accusingly. She looked at him innocently and licked his face the way he had just done to her. He found it more pleasant than he had expected. He'd never had another wolf be nice to him the way she was being. He felt like he could lie down with her sheltered against him, their black noses touching, if not forever then for a very long time.

But for now, he had a lot to teach her, and he was eager to get started. The wolf in him was impatient to run and hunt with his new playmate, and find out what kind of wolf was in her.

They had planned their escape route when they had planned everything else. Megumi hadn't thought Kaoru would appreciate it if anyone found two werewolves wandering the corridors, especially if one of them was new-born. And if they were found by someone who didn't recognize Sano, things could get complicated. But they managed to get outside unseen.

The cold night air was sharp on their noses and eyes, and the wind lifted their fur a little, but they didn't suffer from it. Sano looked once behind him to get Megumi's attention, then took off, not at full speed, but fast enough that she would have to chase him. They ran about under the moonlight, playing a sort of follow-the-leader as Sano tried to teach Megumi not to coordinate her actions and to follow her instincts, to move quickly and agilely with a sense of her body. When he was satisfied that she was in touch with the wolf she had become, Sano redirected them to the trees on the edge of the Dojo complex. They zigzagged between the trunks and dug through the moist layer of dead leaves, the smell of the forest overwhelming Megumi, still unused to the strength of her new nose. But it smelled good and inviting, and the two of them rolled and tumbled, playfighting wherever they found space.

Sano took them into the outskirts of the city, a lesson for Megumi in how to avoid detection by humans, and if one is detected by humans, how to convince them you're just a big, friendly dog. He stole some kebabs for their supper, and Megumi was surprised by how good they tasted, having never really favoured them as a human, though she had some trouble with the stick. After that, they sat on an exposed hill, and howled at the moon, something Sano obviously thought was part of the first-change experience and therefore not open for discussion. Megumi had been a little self-conscious at first, but after some rough pushing and poking from Sano, she tried, and managed to find the right vocal-cords for the job on the second try.

They walked home, their sides brushing and their breath creating clouds in the air before them. Sano kept thumping her hind-quarters with his tail, and she was sure he was doing it on purpose, but she couldn't get him to stop, and hitting him back had no effect. It was so like him to be so childish, that she felt a swell of love for him and pushed her muzzle under his neck, in the wolf equivalent of a hug.

Having snuck back into her apartment, they curled up on her bed around each other and fell asleep, perfectly comfortable, forgetting that they were going to change back to humans at all.


	24. The Commitment

Chapter 24

Kaoru clicked the mouse and scrolled down the page. A tense frown marked her face and there was a cold sweat down her spine. Her ears were pricked, listening hard for any kind of noise in the dusky library, and she looked over her shoulder every few moments just to be sure she was alone.

Her eyes returned to the computer screen, searching for anything relevant. At first, her search had returned nothing but smut and the fantasies of some very lonely people. Right now she was trying to distinguish between speculation and genuine facts. She hated to be doing this. If anyone found her... Sano especially would never let her hear the end of it. She would just die of embarrassment. She'd have to transfer to another country. And if it ever got back to Kenshin... She whimpered quietly at the thought of it. But she had to be strong about this. She was a grown woman, wasn't she? And what was wrong about a grown woman looking for some answers on the internet? Nothing. It was a medical issue she was interested in, and she shouldn't be ashamed of that. She was a strong, independent woman, and she could do this.

She rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen them, then laid her fingers on the keyboard.

"Ohoho, Kaoru, what _are_ you looking at?"

Kaoru shrieked and jumped right off her seat, spinning around to face the spy, trying to cover the screen with her back.

"N-Nothing," she said, panicked.

"Really? It certainly looked like something to me, and you're certainly acting like it was something," accused Megumi, her arms folded and one eyebrow raised. Her eyes were sparkling with intrigue in the half light.

"It wasn't, really! I was just... checking my emails." Kaoru winced internally as she realised how weak her excuse sounded. She knew she was busted. If there was any kind of God, an asteroid would hit the earth right now and squish her. It only had to be a small one, pea-sized. Was that too much to ask?

Megumi gave her a sceptical look.

"I'm not here to judge, Kaoru, I just never thought you went in for that sort of thing. I mean, it does cast a whole new light on your relationship with Kenshin. I always thought it was the man you were interested in, not the vampire."

"It is. This... isn't what it looks like. I was only reading that stuff for research," Kaoru pleaded. That earned her another look, this one saying Megumi might have heard all she wanted to know.

"Research?" she said, one perfect eyebrow cocked sceptically, and a note of trepidation in her voice.

"No, not like that! I was trying to find out... I mean..." Kaoru was getting more and more frazzled, and Megumi was beginning to see that, scandal aside, her friend was generally upset about something.

"Kaoru, are you and Kenshin having some problems?" she asked, reaching out to lay her hand caringly on Kaoru's arm, her voice concerned. Kaoru sighed heavily and stopped trying to shield the computer from Megumi's eyes. Her shoulders sagged and she hung her head.

"The thing is," she began. "Kenshin and I have been together for kind of a while now, but every time we... get close to each other, he always pulls away at the last minute. And I was just trying to find out if it's because he... can't, because he's a vampire and everything." It was actually kind of a relief to share her concerns with someone else, and she knew she could trust Megumi to know when to draw the line and take something seriously and keep it secret.

"Are you saying Kenshin won't sleep with you?" asked Megumi gently, in the professional manner all doctors have when dealing with something personal. It took a moment, but Kaoru nodded, still unable to meet her eyes properly. "Have you tried speaking to Kenshin about it?"

"No, I don't want to embarrass him. I know guys can get pretty sensitive when it comes to that stuff. And I don't know if I could take it if he told me he just wasn't interested. I mean, I know I'm not beautiful or anything, but I thought... if he loved me... And it's not like I have a lot of experience in this area." Kaoru's voice was becoming choked and she couldn't keep the tears from falling. Megumi sighed sympathetically and put her arm around her.

"I'm sure that's not it. When you guys are together, the rest of us can just tell, he's crazy about you. If he hasn't slept with you yet, I'm sure it's not because he doesn't find you attractive. Try to think of it from his point of view. Didn't he kill the last woman he loved? There have to be some issues there, and maybe he believes you should be married first. I mean, he _is_ two hundred years old, they had different values back then. The best thing you can do is talk to him about it, he can handle it. He's not a macho meat-head like Sano."

Kaoru sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"But, do you think he can? Or does being a vampire make a difference?" she said, finally looking at Megumi's face.

"Kaoru, I can safely say, that in all my years of working as a doctor for supernatural beings, I have never heard anything to suggest that vampires have any problem doing the deed, quite the opposite in fact. And they're even safer than humans, as you don't have to worry about getting pregnant or catching any sexually-transmitted diseases. So, are you okay now?" she asked. Kaoru nodded weakly and Megumi got her to her feet. She switched off the computer. "Now, come on, I'm sure Kenshin is wondering where you are."

ooo

Kaoru still hadn't been able to work up the courage to breach the subject with Kenshin when she got back to her apartment, but it came up on its own later that night.

She didn't know how she could ever have thought that Kenshin was indifferent to her. The sexual tension between them, just when they were in the same room, not even particularly close, was strong, and persistent. Somehow, they inevitably ended up in each other's arms. It just happened, seamlessly, without any specific ignition on either part. Of course, it was just as inevitable that Kenshin would stop at some point, no matter how close they were to completing the action, and leave the room with a change of subject or weak excuse. And that was when it was painfully easy to believe he didn't want her, when she was left alone.

But Kaoru wasn't thinking about that right now. Or she was, but she was trying desperately to believe that it had never happened. Kenshin's lips were firm and playful against hers, his hands confident yet anxious that she should not pull away. The sheets were a loose tangle about their hips, and his bare chest was pleasantly cool against hers, warmed by her body heat. Her tongue found his, slipping coyly between his fangs, and he opened his mouth to her. She brought one leg up over his hip - they fit together so perfectly. Holding his face in her hands, Kaoru concentrated on teasing him, showing off her oral dexterity. It had taken her a few tries to master the art of brushing against his fangs without getting nicked, but it seemed to be worth the effort.

Kaoru wasn't aware of approaching any kind of limit, it all felt perfectly natural to her as she encouraged his hands that kept them molded together, holding her so that no air passed between them, so that her heartbeat fluttered against his chest and her breathing rhythmically pushed her breasts against him. He wondered whether she knew what she was doing to him, whether she knew how it felt, the pointed stroke of her nipples, occasionally snagging his, the tremors in her ribs caused by the pleasure he was giving her. It was enough to drive a man insane. Already his brain felt cloudy, drunk on the heady scent of her. The way she would unconsciously breathe his name next to his ear made him dizzy. Her softness and warmth was exceptional to him, her love inconceivable. Kenshin felt her fingertips wind into his hair and heard her whisper his name again with the feeling that he was in a dream that was too good to last. That he was holding desperately onto delusion for as long as he could, but he would soon be snatched back into the freezing reality of the past century, with no one to comfort him but junkie victims, and nothing to warm him but harsh orange streetlights.

The ache in his heart was translating into an ache in his groin. He yearned for her body just as he yearned for her love. His fingertips sunk into her waistband, ready to remove what was separating them and she inhaled sharply. And with the knowledge that it was the touch of his sepulchral fingers, cold as death, that made her heart race in anticipation, that she was in love with something undead, that his morbid caress could make her do almost anything, something deep inside Kenshin - in the opaque darkness of the pit that Kenshin had created to be a tomb - laughed.

Kaoru wasn't aware of any kind of line that was not to be crossed, but as she reached down between them for the button on one of his new pairs of jeans, stroking every dip and hollow of his muscled torso as she went, he pulled away suddenly with a hiss, one of his hands appearing out of nowhere to catch hers, and her heart shattered again, tinkling like glass in her ears. Immediately, she looked for a reason in his face, some kind of indication as to why he didn't want her the way she wanted him, but as usual he had already turned away. Kaoru sat up in bed, her heart bleeding, as he sat on the edge, throwing on a fine, crimson silk shirt. This was obviously going to be one of the times when he didn't even pretend to explain it. He wasn't going to suddenly remember he had clothes in the dryer, or that he'd left something somewhere that he absolutely had to retrieve that instant.

"Is it me?" Kaoru said quietly, though her voice filled the silence around them. She'd snapped, her conversation with Megumi had freshened the wound, and she couldn't take this anymore. She needed a reason, any reason, anything, no matter how painful, but she couldn't take this silence. It was like Kenshin didn't think he needed to tell her, or that he didn't trust her to understand.

At her words, Kenshin stopped, having risen from the bed, but he made no sound and didn't turn to look at her. "Is it Tomoe? Is it because we aren't married?" She was embarrassed now that the damn had broken, but she was committed to getting an answer.

Kenshin still did not face her. He raised his eyes to stare at the wall in front of him.

"No," he said at last. "It's none of those." His voice was completely hollow, a dark abyss in which echoed a pain similar to her own.

"So, is it me? Do you just not find me attractive?" Kaoru was able to speak openly, earnestly. His shoulders jumped once in a bitter, humourless laugh.

"No, I wish it was. I wish I didn't feel this way about you, that your every heartbeat didn't call to me, that your scent didn't haunt me even when I am alone. I wish you didn't look at me the way you do, or rather, that I didn't react to your looks the way I do. I wish this didn't keep happening, I know it's not fair to you and I don't want to hurt you. I wish I had the strength never to start, so that I would never have to stop."

His words did nothing to warm Kaoru. She could feel how they hinted at some dark danger, the real reason their relationship was left unconsummated. Kenshin spoke with such a muted anger, a long-hardened habit of bearing guilt that had somehow become painful again.

"Then what? I don't understand. Is it a physical thing, because you're a vampire?" she asked gingerly. He lowered his head again, turning it slightly more away from her.

"No," he said, his voice still just as empty. Kaoru waited for more, but nothing came, and the pause turned into a silence that pressed heavily on her. Kenshin clearly wasn't going to offer her any enlightenment on the subject. She reached across the bed for his hand, which she used to turn him to face her. She knew they needed to have this out now. If they left it unfinished like this, it would fester and fatally infect the rest of their relationship..

"Kenshin, please tell me what's going on here. I need to understand. Whatever it is, you can tell me. Why do you always pull away?" He must have seen the raw hurt in her eyes, there was no way he could have missed it. His own face was as shuttered and carefully expressionless as always. A hard glint of determination sparked in the violet there, and suddenly, he was kissing her. Hard and desperately, mercilessly. In her surprise she tried to push him away, to make him ease up a little, but strangely, he wouldn't. He used his vampire strength to keep her prisoner in his arms, his hand at the back of her neck, pushing her backwards and crawling on top of her. She began to kiss him back, accepting the abusive kiss and meeting it with adoration. Her lips were just as fierce as his.

Kenshin pulled back sharply, Kaoru's eyes were still closed as she tried to get her breath back.

"Look at me," she heard him say forcefully, his voice deeper than it should have been. She opened her own sapphire eyes and met his. When she did, she gasped. His face was turned to the muted gold light of the bedside lamp, undoubtedly positioned that way purposefully for the best effect. Sparkling shards of amber radiated out from his pupils, the usual amethyst pushed to the background. "Do you understand now?" he said.

Kaoru laid her hand against his temple, her thumb at the edge of his eye. She watched as the amber glittered in his irises like coins at the bottom of a wishing-well, and she understood. She didn't know what to say, but she felt so sad; she knew Kenshin would never allow her to be used by the hitokiri. It wasn't jealousy, he was just unable to see that side of himself as anything other than a monster that no woman would accept as a lover. And he had good reason, Battousai lived to be the incarnation of terror. It was only since Kaoru had forged the binding between them and forbidden him to kill that he had ever been restrained. But it was that self-same binding that had given her feelings for the monster, and while she might hesitate to offer him her body at night, she didn't instinctively pull away.

"But... Does it have to be this way?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin sighed heavily, the violet glow conquering the amber as his eyes returned to normal. He laid his own hand over hers.

"I would never risk hurting you. Not for anything," he replied.

"But your control is usually so good," Kaoru felt like she was fighting against a guilty verdict and a prison sentence. Was this it for them? Kaoru had another reason for wanting to make love to Kenshin, one that she had trouble accepting. She knew it wouldn't be long before she crossed a line with Battousai, and she had just wanted to cross it with Kenshin first. They had never talked about her tenuous relationship with the hitokiri, but Kaoru could tell that Kenshin knew, or at least suspected. But whatever feelings she had for Battousai, her feelings for Kenshin were stronger. She hadn't had sex in five years, and she wanted Kenshin to be the one to break her chastity.

"There is a chance I could remain myself, but I cannot guarantee it, especially not-" He cut off suddenly and turned his eyes down. Kaoru realised what he was saying. At the end, how could she expect him to keep the struggling Battousai at bay, while the rest of him released? It was unfair of her to ask him that. It would require Herculean strength of will. And it would only add to all the anguish he'd already been through in his life if he failed, and instead of his loving amethyst eyes she was met with Battousai's cold-hearted glare. She couldn't predict what Battousai would do if that happened, but she knew he would probably try to take advantage of the situation somehow. She doubted he would blush and withdraw, turning his back while she got dressed.

But could she let this be the end for them? Could she be satisfied with never knowing him fully, intimately?

"If I told you that I was willing to risk it, that I wanted to try and I was prepared to accept the outcome whatever it was, would you try with me?" she said, holding his eyes. She could see the hesitation there. He was considering it. She had a chance. She didn't want to force him, or have him do something he would regret tomorrow, but she needed him to see that he couldn't forever live his life in fear of the hitokiri. She needed him to know that she loved every single thing about him, inside and out, and that included Battousai. Anything that happened they would get through together. She quickly tossed one leg over his, straddling his thighs, facing him.

"I want the first time to be with you," she murmured quietly, staring down at him. He stared back, still unsure. She inflicted upon him the full influence of her cobalt eyes, and slowly leant down to kiss him, a soft press of her lips, trying to lead him into more. He didn't move, not even his lips reflexively entertained hers. She kissed him again, just as slowly, pleading with him. His hands tightened into fists by his side.

Kaoru tried to envelope him in her warmth, winding her fingers into his hair and pressing her chest against what was left exposed of his. She had wrapped herself in the sheet to preserve her dignity during their discussion. Kaoru kissed him again, fully, taking her time in coaxing his lips open. Once again his cold tongue was tangled up with hers, and she inhaled deeply. He tilted his head back to make it easier for her. She could feel the taught muscles along his shoulders gradually relax as he began to give in to her, but still he didn't move on his own, his hands were still limp by his side.

Kaoru drew back from the kiss, holding his eyes, their noses touching. She pulled the sheet away from her body and she knew he would be able to feel the heat radiating from her. His eyes became more conflicted, she could see how much he wanted to touch her. She gently pushed the shirt from his shoulders, unveiling his perfect white skin and his sculpted chest. He stared up at her still, his eyes vulnerable and pleading. She kissed along his jaw seductively, while gradually leaning him backwards to lie on the bed, so slow he hardly noticed. She continued to kiss lower and lower still, across his collarbone and down, making sure her hot breath touched him, flowing over his nipple.

She chanced a glance up at his face and saw that his eyes were tightly closed, trying to block her out. His jaw was clenched and she noticed his hands had also tightened into painful fists again. She lay a trail of hot, wet kisses down the centre of his chest, her hands going before her, undoing his trousers. She took a detour from her path, kissing around under his raised pectoral muscle, and she heard him whimper.

Kaoru positioned herself over his nipple, holding her breath to allow the natural coldness of his skin to return. Then she ran her tongue over him, sucking his nipple into her mouth, letting him feel her teeth. As soon as she had made contact, he had gasped loudly and his eyes had flown open, his back arching into her touch. She kissed him with a suggestive rhythm, rocking back and forth, rolling the wet underside of her lips over his nipple.

"Kaoru... We shouldn't..." Kenshin murmured half-heartedly. She was making it hard for him to believe it himself, she could tell. It was true, his body was crying for her, raging against his mind like a dog straining against its leash. It wasn't fair, he was trying to do the right thing, why did that have to be so hard? Why did she have to be so insanely intoxicating?

Kaoru's hands wandered down to his trousers, sliding between them and his underwear. The back of her hand brushed him unintentionally, already hard and ready for her. Kenshin reacted, grabbing her upper-arms and hauling her upwards, his vampire strength making her light as a feather, and he rolled them over at the same time so that he was on top, all in one fluid motion. Kaoru found herself staring into his wide violet eyes, open and accusing, though his need for her still shone through.

"Do you really want me?" he asked in a low voice. "All of me? No matter what?" He was hoping she would say no and that that would be the end of it. He could have believed that answer. As it was, with all she was offering him, it was like torture. The contrast between this and the rest of his life as a rurouni stung, like hot water after ice. But Kaoru could feel him resting heavy between her thighs, and she would never turn him away.

"Yes," she answered. "I want all of you, no matter what."

He ran his hands down her arms tauntingly slowly, until he held her hands. He took one and pressed it over his chest, showing her that his heart wasn't beating.

"You want this?" The disbelief and self-loathing in his words, although not emphasized, were in the background, and Kaoru hated them. She wanted to drive them out with a thousands nights spent worshipping his body with her own, and saturating him with her love until he was immune to such feelings.

"I love this," she said, bringing up her other hand to hold his cheek, his cross-shaped scar rough under her palm, and she traced the edge with her thumb. Then she took his hand and laid it over her own heart, which was beating frantically. "Feel that? That's what you do to me." She brought his hand lower until his fingers curled round the swell of her breast. His thumb stroked her absentmindedly just as she had done to his scar, and he pressed gently without Kaoru having to lead him. "Please, Kenshin. You don't have to be afraid of what might happen. It doesn't matter; all I want is to be close to you," she said.

The fingers of the hand holding hers over his still heart enfolded her wrist, and her blood became chilled as it passed beneath them, but she liked it, it was proof of his touch. He raised her wrist to his lips and inhaled the scent of her blood which coursed underneath, his eyes fluttering shut in rapture. Then he kissed it gently, and stayed with his lips pressed against the thin skin. For a long time, he stayed like that, his eyes closed, thinking. But then he exhaled and let her go, turning his eyes to hers. He pressed closer to her and kissed her, and Kaoru understood that he was agreeing to try.

His long hair shifted and slid off his back to tickle her sides. He made it clear it was now his turn to tease her. Her own warm flesh felt feverish in comparison to the cold body that covered her. He kissed her deeply, leading the kiss in a way he rarely did, telling her she was to lie still while he repaid her for her earlier administrations. His hand travelled up her stomach back to her breast, catching it and massaging in a separate rhythm to his kiss, confusing her mind. His cold thumb ran over her nipple and her whole body broke out with goosebumps. She shuddered against him and he felt a stab of irrational, desperate desire in his gut.

Tonight, he would know her, her warmth, the feel of her tangled up with him. It had been easy to talk himself out of deserving her; he was used to that sort of thing. Just kissing her, he didn't feel the primal lust stir in him, the angry, possessive, dangerous emotions that so often led to the release of Battousai. But it was the way she knew exactly where to touch him, innocent but invasive at the same time, sensitive places even he hadn't known about. Places she was touching him now. Like the back of his neck, kept protected and sensitive by his long hair. But as he felt the violent fire swirl in his chest, he tried to push it down again, tried to keep Battousai locked tightly away for as long as possible, though it tried to lure him with promises of even greater pleasure. But Kenshin refused to give in; he could share this moment with Kaoru as a man, without reverting to a hitokiri. If he could not, what hope was there for him?

Kaoru slipped away from his lips and kissed along his jaw up to his ear. He could hear her breathing as her hot, swollen lips teased the shell of his ear. Her hands rounded his back across his ribs under his arms. She moved her legs, the thick fabric of her jeans rubbing against his, causing faint vibrations to tickle across his skin. He loved her in jeans. Her knee grazed his bare lower back, and he suddenly thought that her own bare skin would be softer and more enjoyable than any denim.

But that would be going further than he ever had before, and he was not sure he could do it. He would have to consciously make the move that would lead to their joining, and he would not be able to pull back after that. Somehow, as if she had read his mind, she popped the button on her trousers herself, and pulled the zip down. She left them like that, arms coming up around him again, an invitation. He rolled off her just enough to be able to see along the length of her body. Pinching the side of the fabric, he began to slowly inch the jeans off her hips. Kaoru lay still, letting him do it.

It was the most sensuous experience Kenshin had ever been through. First, just the tips of her thighs appeared at the sides, greeting him with their peek-a-boo porcelain. The lamp-light was weak and the colour of firelight, and very flattering on her. Kenshin met more resistance as he pulled the trousers further down over the swell of her hips and rear. The angle between the jeans and the elastic of her underwear was becoming more pronounced. He felt so privileged to have her exposed to him this way, it felt more intimate than if she had been naked. Finally her underwear was clear of the jeans, and he tried not to focus too openly on the stretch of pastel fabric that disappeared between her thighs.

His eyes took in every tiny centimetre square of her skin, the feminine curve of her knee, the bow of her calves. Then the jeans were gone, and he allowed himself to touch. Her skin was like warm silk. The smell of her drifted off her skin to his nose. He ran his hand gently from her ankle to her hip, his fingers dipping into the back of her knee as they went. One of her legs was bent, cocked, as if half-trying to preserve her modesty, or trying to display itself to its best advantage. He looked up her body. Her face was watching him, her eyes a little wide and her breathing a little fast, the edges of her ribs surfacing and submerging as she breathed. She was so beautiful it was almost painful, and the ice that had caged his heart during his many years of guilty solitude in the dark back alleys of Japan suddenly bit into him, clenching down on his love with a feeling like frostbite. He didn't mind; he knew that sensation was just a memory. Kaoru had long since melted the ice in him.

Her hair covered the pillow in inky curlicues. He wanted to join her, invite her like she was doing to him. He leant over her again, kissing her, encouraging her to follow him over onto her side, as he worked to remove his own trousers. Kaoru knew where his hands were and what they were doing by the gentle clink his belt buckle made. She could hardly believe this was real, she was sure he was going to snap and decide he couldn't handle it and leave her for good this time. She understood the frailty of what they were doing. It was placing their hearts in peril; a wrong move, a badly chosen word, a loss of control, and they would never see each other again. If things went badly, and she looked to his face and found scorching amber instead of comforting amethyst, she was already planning her reaction. She would not allow herself to hurt him, he didn't need that on top of the pain he would inflict on himself.

Kenshin's jeans were discarded and he kissed her again, more clumsily than usual, thrusting his tongue into her mouth in search of a playmate, tasting her urgently. Kaoru slid her leg between his, up and down, revelling in the feel of his cool skin. She wanted him inside her. She pushed him over onto his back and climbed on top of him, pressing her groin against his and riding him rhythmically. Kenshin slid his hand under the waistband of her underwear and a finger inside her, shocking her and making her spine rigid. She cried out, breaking the kiss, her eyes wide. He was already pumping quickly in and out of her, giving her no time to adjust. She was driven mad, all she knew was her desperate need of him. She gasped his name as she tried to strip him of his underwear.

He helped her. She felt his finger withdraw and her leg was pushed away as he removed his underwear and hers, rolling her onto her back so that he was on top. But just before her entered her, he hesitated. She looked up into his large purple eyes, so close. They weren't asking permission, or reconsidering, it was more as if he was taking a mental photograph, engraving that moment in his memory forever in the tiniest detail. He looked so calm, that Kaoru regained more of her senses, and they just stared at each other, in reverence and adulation.

"Please," she whispered unconsciously, more of a loud thought than actual spoken words. She felt Kenshin shift his weight, and then he was pushing into her. Kaoru exhaled slowly in fulfilment. Kenshin's eyelids fluttered but didn't close as her heat enveloped him. He was cold inside her, and she writhed against him instinctively, trying to adjust, but then she stilled, and again they both waited to feel everything and remember it all. They never lost eye contact. Kaoru watched the emotions that flittered through his irises that came with carnal knowledge of her, with joining with her, with being accepted, and the pleasure he felt. Kenshin could almost see in her eyes the exact moment when her heart became secure again and all her worries dissipated. He felt her abdomen give a little jerk beneath him. It was a sacred moment to both of them.

And then Kenshin pulled himself slowly out of her, her thighs hugging him tighter with the pleasure that the movement sent vibrating through her. Her inner walls convulsed as if sorry to see him go. Then he pushed into her again, just as slowly. A rhythm began to build between them, still slow, but increasing in speed. Kaoru began to move her own hips to meet his thrusts. And still they kept eye contact. There were no barriers between them, they each granted the other access to their souls. Kaoru's breathing sped up as they did. She rocked against him, loving the ebb and flow of his solid chill inside her. Kenshin watched the blue in her eyes swirl as the pleasure built. His hand convulsed where it held her as a needle of orgasm shot through him, tightening his abdomen.

Kenshin rolled them over, he wanted to feel her work him. Kaoru took over without missing a beat. Her weight pushed him deeper into her as she rocked back and forth, her muscles seizing him tightly as she pulled up or pushed over him. She stayed leaning over him though, and he showed her with his eyes the madness she was giving him. Madness that was beginning to disintegrate his control. It was becoming harder and harder to keep his mind together as the waves of pleasure that Kaoru was giving him destroyed his higher powers of reason. But he just redoubled his efforts to lock Battousai in more tightly than he ever had, no matter how strenuous it was becoming. Kaoru had begun to whisper his name and every time she did it sent all his faculties scattering.

A sudden convulsion of Kaoru's muscles tight around him, harder than he expected, made him cry out, and before he could regather his senses, he was on top again, pumping into her much faster than before. Kaoru gasped with each thrust and gripped him tightly in her arms. Kenshin was getting a darker, masculine pride from seeing her face contort with the ecstasy she couldn't control, but then she tightened around him again and he was humbled. He could feel something moving and growing in him, responding to her, and he moaned softly, continuing to move with her. He wanted to close his eyes but found that he couldn't; he was trapped by hers, ensnared. He also felt that she mustn't close her eyes either, or he would be lost, adrift. Those glittering sapphires that begged and adored him anchored him in place, they were keeping him the Rurouni.

"Don't close your eyes," he said, his voice husky and quiet in the otherwise silent room, echoing off the sound of Kaoru's harsh breathing.

"I won't," she replied, sounding more like she was pledging her life to him. Kenshin was surprised to find that he wasn't scared by this. He already knew he was hers entirely and forever. She had saved him from himself, she had given him life and love and meaning. He would be forever her servant. She had once said that all she wanted from him was that he would never leave her. In that moment, he vowed that he never would, no matter what.

Another disorientating pulse of orgasm hit him and he knew he was approaching his end. He could feel it welling up inside him, a fire in the pit of his stomach, but he wanted to wait for her. He didn't think he would have to wait long. Kaoru's gasps were turning to cries, her touches were more insistent. He grasped one of her wrists and pinned it above her head, leaning over her more possessively as he altered his position slightly to thrust deeper into her. She writhed frantically beneath him, but he wouldn't let her turn away from his gaze. He slowed down deliberately and she whimpered adorably, but he refused to go faster. He wanted to see every moment of her climax. It came gradually and she dug her heels into the mattress. The muscles cradling him inside her shuddered and convulsed, mercilessly dragging him into his own release.

Kaoru tried to calm her breathing as her eyes refocused and she became aware of the bed at her back again. She realised she had lost sight of Kenshin's eyes, he had dropped his head onto the pillow. Nervousness curled in her stomach. Had Kenshin been able to remain himself? He made no movement, still inside her, still holding her arm above her head.

"Kenshin?" she asked tentatively. She felt his fingers slip from her wrist and he languidly pushed himself up on his elbow. His features were not hard marble, his eyes were not ruthless fire. Only her beloved amethyst was to be found watching her from under his scarlet bangs. She couldn't help but beam up at him and he smiled back at her before kissing her deeply.

"You made it," she said when they broke apart.

"Yes, my love. I don't think I could have done with anyone else," he replied, seriously. Kaoru was beginning to feel exhaustion creeping up on her. Kenshin seemed to be able to tell, as he rolled off her, her muscles spasming as he left her. He quickly scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly. "Do you wish to sleep?" he asked her.

"No, I want to stay like this," she replied. It was true, she didn't see how anyone could just drop off after something like that, she couldn't bare to cut herself off from him just yet. Kenshin reached for the blanket and tucked it in around them in an attempt to keep her warm while she was curled against him. He was quite happy to stay just as they were.


	25. The Blood Tie

Chapter 25

Hiko was renting a small house on the outskirts of Tokyo. He wanted to stay near to Battousai, in case it turned out that he needed to fulfil his promise to kill him, but he hadn't wanted to stay in that building with him and that girl and all her friends. He was too much of a misanthropist. He had hoped to be left alone in his run down cabin, so he was surprised when there was a knock on his door early one night. But he was even more surprised to find Battousai's woman standing on his front step. She looked nervous, but with a superficial confidence that said she wasn't going to take any of his arrogant jibes. He waited for her to speak first, which she only did after a long, awkward silence.

"May I come in?" she said. Hiko was curious, so he stood back and allowed her entrance. His first thought was that Battousai must have somehow broken free from her restrictions and had begun his slaughtering of innocents, but that didn't explain how she was apparently unharmed. Maybe he was saving her for last?

Kaoru waited while Hiko lit candles for her, having previously been sitting in the dark since he had perfect night-vision anyway. He then gestured for her to sit down opposite him at a low table, which she did.

"I need your advice," she said once they were both settled. "About Battousai."

"You need me to kill him after all," said Hiko, more as a statement than a question, already reaching for his katana. But Kaoru's eyes flashed up at him in dismay and her hand shot out to stop him, but stopped halfway as she decided not to touch him.

"No! No, that's not what I mean," she sighed and withdrew her hand back out of sight. "You know we've been living together for a while now, and things with the Rurouni are going great, but..."

"But what?" Hiko prompted, not really enjoying wasting his time talking to his ex-apprentice's human girlfriend, especially about her relationship.

"But Battousai still treats me like the enemy! There's something between us, I can feel it, but all Battousai does is growl and snap at me," said Kaoru. Hiko thought the poor girl was delirious if she thought there was anything between her and the hitokiri.

"Why are you here, Miss Kamiya?" he said, growing more impatient.

"I told you, I need your advice!"

"On what?" replied Hiko.

"On how to get Battousai to like me!" she burst out. Hiko was so startled by her ridiculous notion that such a thing was possible, and the sheer high school drama in her voice that he burst out laughing in her face, and kept it up for quite a while as the comedy of Battousai in love played out in his mind's eye. The girl however just looked annoyed, if not surprised, and waited for him to get a grip on himself.

"Forgive me, I can see that you are quite serious about this, so I shall... _try_ to be serious myself," he said, his lips twitching as he tried to get his chuckling under control. Suddenly, he didn't mind the girl so much, he hadn't laughed like that in an age, maybe not since he had been raising Kenshin. That boy got himself into the most hilarious of slap-stick situations when he was young.

"Thank you," Kaoru answered him sarcastically.

"Surely you must understand that Battousai will not thank you for what you've done to him. You've taken away his pride, his freedom, and his reason to be,"

"But I didn't want to! And it's not like I can just let him run wild, murdering half of Tokyo! But everything I try to do to help just seems to make things worse," Kaoru whined.

"Obviously he doesn't want you being nice to him, you stupid girl! That's just going to make it hurt more than if you abused him cruelly. He's a hitokiri, kindness is the worst form of taunting and disrespect to him. You have to treat him like a threat, a powerful force to be feared! You said he treats you like an enemy, well that's how he wants to be treated himself." Hiko found himself smiling as he talked, though he couldn't put his finger on why exactly.

"But... I don't think I can be cruel to him," said Kaoru in a small voice, afraid of that being the only option.

"I'm not saying you have to be cruel, just don't try to be kind,"

"So what should I do then?"

"You must try to understand something. Battousai is a man, a hitokiri and a vampire. It does not appear that he lusts for you body," Kaoru blushed violently as he spoke. "And you have denied him violence. Blood is the only thing left that he needs, wants or enjoys. It would be the same for any vampire. It is the only thing you can give him that he would be interested in. And the best part is, it's free," said Hiko, grinning at his own joke, showing thick fangs.

"You're telling me I have to let him feed off me for him to ever like me?!" cried Kaoru in dismay. That seemed like a lot to ask. In theory, he wouldn't be able to kill her, but it was still opening a vein, allowing the most hostile person she'd ever come across to sink fangs into her neck and suck her blood.

"And he may not like you even then!" Hiko laughed again at the situation the girl had got herself in. Hiko had had his share of female company in his four hundred odd years of life, but he had never felt the need for a long-term relationship, and he always enjoyed the heartache of anyone foolish enough to enter into the marsh called love.

"Well, alright, _if _I were to do it, I couldn't just walk up to him and say 'Bon appetite!' How do I get him interested at all?" asked Kaoru, her blood heating up at Hiko's lack of compassion.

"Well, I suggest taking a shower beforehand, to heat your skin and bring the blood to the surface. Tie up your hair. And if you really want to force intimacy with him, touch his sword. A hitokiri's sword is a very personal item, he will be very protective of it. This will also allow you to test how willing he is to receive your advances. I wish you luck," said Hiko.

"Oh, thanks, why am I not infused with confidence? And what am I supposed to do if he doesn't go for it?" asked Kaoru.

"Starve him and try again," replied Hiko calmly. Kaoru stared at him, but he was evidently serious.

"So that's it. I'm just supposed to offer him my blood?"

"That's my advice, yes," said Hiko, crossing his arms.

Kaoru balked at the idea of seducing Battousai's appetite. The past few weeks had been very tense, Battousai had been particularly volatile since Christmas when they began to suspect that the binding between them created a physical attraction. Kaoru knew Battousai felt it, and she also knew that that was what was making him hate her so much, because he was fighting it so hard.

Hiko seemed to be inviting her leave, so she thanked him and got to her feet. The drive home gave her a lot to think about. She had forbidden him to kill anyone, which would include her, so theoretically, if she did this, it wouldn't cost her her life. But it still required an immense amount of trust in Battousai, trust she wasn't sure she had. She would be entirely at his mercy, he may not be able to kill her, but there would be nothing stopping him from leaving her horrendously scarred for life. And if she tried to order him to behave, she sincerely doubted he'd want to go along with it at all. Not to mention the possible side affects it would have on the magic between them. No one had any way to predict it, and so far it seemed that everything she did made things worse between them.

On top of all this, Kaoru was nervous for another reason. She knew vampire bites injected endorphins into the victim. However, Kaoru had never experienced this herself. What if she enjoyed it more than she should? She could develop a taste for it, and the last thing she wanted was to become addicted to Battousai. She could seriously embarrass herself. What if being bitten was the equivalent of vampire sex? Maybe Hiko was setting her up, maybe Battousai would laugh in her face just like Hiko did. Or worse, he might not see the funny side. And what would Kenshin think? Would it count as cheating? Would he still love her after she'd been food for the hitokiri he despised? Who knew, maybe she wouldn't even get the chance. Battousai's resistance to her might run so deep, or she might just be so inept at seducing him, that Hiko's suggestion might be ruled out already.

Kaoru didn't have to worry about hiding her distress from Kenshin when she got home because she knew he would be out hunting. But which man would return was unknown, Battousai was often more interested in being the dominant power during their hunting excursions, and many times Kaoru had bid goodbye to Kenshin and welcomed back Battousai. So as she unlocked her front door she realised she had one simple decision to make. Just how important was Battousai to her? Was she ready to risk all the things she stood to lose if things went badly? Could she stand to let things go on as they were? Maybe Battousai would just get used to her, surely he couldn't keep this level of abhorrence up. So was inviting him to bite her worth it?

ooo

She couldn't stand the hate in his eyes.

She'd made her decision. Whenever he looked at her as if she was the most vilely unjust and loathsome creature on the planet, she felt her guts knot up and she almost believed she was. Such beautiful amber eyes should never look so twisted. She couldn't stand it, so she decided she had to take the only action apparent to her.

It had been a few days since she'd gone to see Hiko. She'd tried to gage Kenshin's view on the subject as subtly as she could, but she'd just confused him, and she'd had to drop the subject before he figured it out. But as far as she could tell, the Rurouni had come to some sort of agreement with the Hitokiri that whatever made Kaoru happy, Kenshin didn't have a problem with. He knew he was not the right person to judge the Hitokiri.

If a psychiatrist ever got their hands on him, they'd have a field day.

So here she was. She was standing looking at the couch where Battousai sat tending to his sakabatou with the kit she had bought Kenshin for Christmas. She was flushed and soft from the shower, her hair was tied up in a shaggy bun, exposing her neck, and she was wearing just her dressing gown with her underwear on underneath. The dressing gown made her think of the night that seemed so long ago, the first time she and Kenshin had kissed, the night he'd been starving to death. She had serious butterflies as she contemplated Battousai's fiery ponytail, but she had already made up her mind to do this. Battousai was wearing a dark blue gi and black hakama. He hadn't worn the gi Kaoru had given him since Christmas night, and he didn't like the modern clothes Kenshin had accepted. It was easy enough to generate in herself the lust that she would depend on for courage, especially now that she knew the intimate touch of that body. It was strange, she found it hard to even consider the body to be the same. Everything changed when the soul inside did.

It was very convenient that Battousai was already busy with his sword. It made it much more casual to ask to touch it. It was like a set-up by the gods. Kaoru rounded the couch nervously and sat down close to Battousai, who flashed a glare in her direction, but otherwise ignored her. The sharp smell of the polish tingled in her nose.

"May I hold it?" she asked after a minute or two of watching him work, her voice catching with trepidation. Battousai paused in his ministrations, then held the handle out to her contemptuously.

"It's useless trash," he said as her fingers wrapped around the hilt. "A ridiculous joke. I should get myself a real katana." He folded his arms and leant back as if disowning it.

_So much for it being a "very personal item"_ thought Kaoru, but she supposed it was still a good sign that he was letting her hold it. Furthermore, Kaoru was too caught up with the sword to feel discouraged. It was heavy, heavier than Kenshin made it look, but incredibly well balanced and easy to hold. The handle was worn smooth, and the blade, newly polished, caught the light and shone in front of her like forgotten magic. She held it upright inches from her face and stared up at it. Then she moved it to her right hand and tipped it horizontally to examine the blade itself. For the very first time, its reversed edge struck her as quirky, and she ran her finger along what should have been the cutting edge without drawing blood. Then she pressed her thumb against the pointed tip and pressed. It was still incredibly sharp.

Kaoru had seen and used swords before in her life, but this one was different. It felt more like the first sword her father had ever let her hold. It had moment, gravity, the calm of age and the threat of experience. It was mind boggling to think of all the battles this sword had seen. She stared at it for a moment longer, realising she was smiling, and exhaled in awe. Then she turned to hand it back to Battousai, and found that he had been watching her. His face gave nothing away, and she could only guess at what he was thinking.

"Thank you. It's amazing," she said earnestly. Battousai took hold of the sakabatou and placed it on the coffee table.

"You think so?" he asked, his voice sheltered.

"Of course. I've never seen anything like it," she answered, her purpose for being there coming back to her. He didn't reply and Kaoru realised she had no next step. But she was consoled by the thought that even the most experienced of seductresses would probably have trouble with Hitokiri Battousai.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, fishing for a way to breach the subject with him. But she saw his eyes narrow and prepared herself with a heavy heart for the fire of his resentment to rear its ugly head.

"And if I was? Would you enforce you will on me again?" he spat venomously, refusing to look at her.

"No, if you were, I would have offered to... feed you myself," Kaoru said, freezing in position as she waited for his reaction. He was definitely startled. His eyebrows rose sharply then lowered again in a scowl as he tried to see the ulterior motive. For a long time he didn't say anything, but then he pulled his eyes up to meet hers.

"Why?" he said slowly.

"I want to do something nice for you. I can't stand having you hate me as much as you do. I want us to be friends," Kaoru replied. There was another long pause as Battousai processed what was either a trick, or insanity.

"Friends? You hope to curry my favour by offering me your blood?" He obviously thought it was as ridiculous an idea as Hiko had thought the idea of Battousai ever liking her was. Kaoru was getting sick of it really.

"Yes, actually. I mean, don't you want to?" she said hotly, hoping he would simply say no and that that would be the end of this ordeal. But Battousai was thinking.

Something like this had never happened to him before. He'd had people offer him _other_ people's blood as payment, but those people were sacrifices, they were never expected to come back alive. Kaoru presumably did. Battousai certainly recognised the trust that she must have in him for her to do this. Unless of course, it was a trap of some sort, which Battousai could understand a lot more easily than the notion of Kaoru wanting to be his _friend_. Hitokiri's did not have friends. Battousai liked it that way.

But he'd had no idea that he was hurting her when he rejected her kindnesses. They'd offended him at the time, they repulsed him like sickly sweet slime that he didn't want to tarnish himself with. But the stupid thing was that now she'd put the idea in his head, he suddenly felt that he was quite hungry, and that his captor would make for something of a delicacy. But it was surely a trick, feeding from her would surely have an effect on the infernal bond between them. She was probably planning to bind him even tighter, make him nothing more than her slave.

Although this seemed like the most rational reason for her doing this, Battousai realized he had no grounds to suspect her. Even if all her previous simpering behaviour had been to lead him into a false sense of security, that would not explain her devotion to the Rurouni. She had practically begged him into her bed, a memory that Battousai shared, infuriatingly, as it didn't help him to resist the pull of her body. Could it be then that she sincerely desired his approval, and would go to such lengths to get it? He couldn't deny he wanted her, the damn bond made sure of that. How he wished he could tear that golden light from her with bloody fingers.

But was it worth the risk? The likelihood was that she meant what she said, but what if she _was_ deceiving him? Was her blood worth it? Was giving in to the cursed craving for her that had been plaguing him prize enough? She was only offering herself to him in exchange for his congeniality, would he be able to give her that? Should he? He could just feed from her and continue on as before. The Mibu Wolf had said that to kill her was the only way to free himself from her, but ever since she had forbidden him to kill anyone, he had no way out.

It would give him power over her to reject her. He had something she wanted now, and blood offered once will be offered again. If he didn't accept now, that didn't mean he would never taste her. But if he was planning on having her anyway, what point was there in waiting? To make this decision, he needed more information, and to get it he just had to remain silent.

"Well? I was planning on seducing you, but I didn't know how, so I'm just asking you, do you want to drink my blood or not?" said Kaoru after Battousai's prolonged silence. He thought she looked so infuriatingly delicious as she pouted at him and did her best to look angry that before he even knew himself what he was doing, his lips were on hers.

Kaoru was so startled when he kissed her that she let out a little squeak and only managed to get her hands between them. She wasn't pushing him away with much conviction. The feel of his chest under her hands was different to that of the Rurouni's, she felt privileged yet threatened, like admiring the beauty of the tiger before it springs at you. He kissed differently from the Rurouni too, he moved less but was somehow more insistent. His hand was at the back of her head, holding her in place. His other hand grabbed her knee, and pulled her leg across him so that she was straddling him. Kaoru's eyes were still wide in shock, and when he pulled away, having kept the kiss relatively brief, his eyes bored into hers like drills.

"You wish for me to bite you?" he asked in a tone more like a command. The amber in his eyes seemed to swirl impossibly in the light, like vats of molten gold. He was angry at himself for wanting her, and for giving in to her. He had decided to do as she asked and slake his thirst with her blood. Kaoru felt like his eyes tortured the answer from her, like the threat of red hot pokers, only that she found herself desiring the touch of their heat as well as fearing it.

"Yes," she choked. Battousai pressed his face to her neck, and Kaoru thought she caught a glimpse of his fangs out of the corner of her eye.

"Then ask me," he said, and, oh Lord, his voice sounded even more sinful than usual so close to her ear, out of sight, with his body holding her legs open. Kaoru knew she could command him and he would have to do it, but she was careful not to do that, because she also knew that that wasn't what he wanted.

"Please, Battousai, please bite me," she said, her voice soft and feminine compared to his. Battousai allowed himself a murmuring laugh in victory, he had never had a victim beg for anything but their life before, and he loved this new game.

"Again," he said, trailing his nose down her neck and positioning his mouth over the frantically beating pulse in her neck, kissing it ever so lightly. He could hear her heartbeat speed up as adrenaline flooded her system. He was scaring her, but they both knew it was more than that. Whether it was the magic of the binding between them that sparked this desire or not, Kaoru was painfully aware of his body, she longed for the touch of his fangs. But it was a double-edged sword, and only many years of controlling his thirst kept him from surrendering himself and drinking her in.

"Please," Kaoru said again.

She felt his lips withdraw and the cool tickle of his breath on her neck, then a harsh stab of pain as he buried his fangs into her skin. It was followed quickly by such a rush of pleasure that she gasped loudly. His endorphins raced through her body straight to her brain, tingling and warming her. Her mind became clouded, laced with golden light. She wasn't sure if her eyes were open or closed. Her hands fisted into his gi and she pressed herself hard against him.

Battousai had only a fraction of his sense left to enjoy the way she gasped and clung desperately to him now. The dominance her need gave him over her was delicious, but her blood was more so, and he soon found himself unable to think of anything else. Her blood was thick and warm, it filled his mouth and flowed down his throat almost eagerly, and he swallowed in an attempt to keep up with her pulse. He could still smell her skin under his nose outside the seal of his lips and it mixed with the taste of her in his mind to create a unique sensory memory that meant Kaoru.

But they soon became aware of each other in a way that had nothing to do with lust. The bond between them was reacting to the forced intimacy of Battousai feeding from her, and Kaoru could feel everything he was feeling as if it was happening to her. Her mind was opened to his, as his was to hers. Kaoru could taste her blood on his tongue, feel the predatory lust that came with the scent of her skin, feel her weight in his lap. Battousai likewise was sharing her experiences. He was enjoying the effect of vampire endorphins just as she was, something he had known only once in his life, and that was now only a blurred memory. He felt the sharp pain in her neck as he sucked his bite, and he also felt her complete surrender to him.

Kaoru moaned as Battousai continued to feed hungrily from her, her eyelids fluttering slowly closed. She _felt _everything. She was enjoying the warm press of her body against his just as he was, she could follow her blood through his veins and it chased the cold away. Her breath came quicker as the blood loss began to affect her brain. She was now more aware of his sensations than she was of her own. She felt her flesh dimple under his fingers as he supported her more or more, his thirst increasing and driving him on more and more every moment. He needed her more than anyone ever before, she was feeding a thirst he hadn't known he had, her blood flowed into a bottomless pit that echoed desperately for more. Kaoru moaned again.

Something else was building between them. A force was pushing them apart. Battousai felt the repulsion, whereas Kaoru felt as if she was doing the repelling. It was the magic that kept Battousai from killing. If he fed from Kaoru for much longer, she would not survive it. But neither of them wanted to separate. The euphoria they were both feeling, one from the satisfaction of blood lust and the other from the delicious venom in her brain, fed off each other and grew to such a point that to end it seemed as death. They were loath to even consider the idea of separating, and so the pressure grew, trying harder to drive them apart.

Battousai bit her again, burying his fangs deeper into her neck, as if trying to hook onto her. It would surely leave a painful wound but Kaoru didn't care. She cried out as she felt it, and the velvet rush of more endorphins snaked through her anew, drawing a growl from Battousai as he shared the sensation. Kaoru tried to hold him to her with her legs, digging her knees into his waist, edging closer to him and pressing her crotch against his. This only spawned a new, physical desire in him, and so in her, that made things worse. Battousai slid his arms under hers to hold her shoulders, forcing her down roughly as he took a more dominant position.

But the magic would not be denied, and the pressure built only to mix with their pleasure. They began to rock as they each tried to close the gap that was not there. Battousai grunted as he dug his fangs in deeper still, Kaoru only feeling immensely grateful and delighting in his strength that kept them together. The desperation to fight the power wedged between them joined the heavy wave of forces and together they crescendoed, finally succeeding in blasting the vampire off Kaoru in an explosion that turned all her muscles to water and her bones to jelly.

The suddenness of it stunned Kaoru, as did finding herself alone again in her mind, and the next thing she was aware of was opening her eyes, her head resting on Battousai's shoulder. She could see his face very close above hers, his head collapsed against the back of the couch. His eyes were closed but his mouth was open and stained with blood, and she could see his dainty fangs poking out further than his other teeth. He was incredibly still, entirely motionless, he wasn't breathing and not even his eyelids flickered. Kaoru curled more into him and closed her eyes again until her breathing had returned to normal, taking advantage of his low body temperature to cool her flushed skin.

"Is it always like that?" she gasped eventually, her voice rough. She opened her eyes again to watch him, but she didn't move. After a moment, he slowly turned his head a fraction away from her and back, a negative reply.

"Is this the first time it's happened to you?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet. This time a slow nod was her answer, followed by a long silence. Kaoru began to feel awkward, and moved to get off him, but his hand spasmed suddenly where it held her thigh so she stayed where she was. He opened his eyes drowsily and focused them on the ceiling.

"You do realise," he said, his voice low and a little hoarse, "That you are only alive now because it is impossible for me to kill you?" He rolled his head to the side and fixed his smoldering eyes on her, stealing any words she might have had in reply.

It was true. Looking at her then, he wanted more of her, every last drop. He wanted desperately to recapture the ecstasy she had supplied. But he reasoned that perhaps it was better this way, as he had a lasting supply, whereas if he killed her he could only enjoy her once, never mind that he believed her death would be the sweetest delicacy of all. But she was in no immediate danger. His body seemed infused with lead, a heavy languor similar to the afterglow of sex. He was so sated he could hardly move.

Kaoru swallowed, "Yes," she said, wondering what he was getting at. But Battousai did not elaborate, he only studied her face, thinking things Kaoru dared not ask about.

"Have you ever been bitten by another vampire?" he asked, which struck Kaoru as an odd question, but she answered it anyway.

"No," Only Kenshin had ever drunk her blood before, and Battousai already knew about that. And technically, he hadn't actually punctured her skin himself with his fangs.

"Good, don't be," said Battousai, facing ahead of him again, and suddenly Kaoru realised he was jealous. He'd been making sure she'd been untouched for him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, but it was so in character for him that she wasn't surprised. She just didn't want to start thinking about the implications.

Kaoru realised she felt well enough to support her own weight, so she sat up away from him, though she kept her legs around him to appease the hand that still rested on her thigh, and which gave a little jump at her movement. Now though, she noticed a thin trail of blood running down her chest until it hit the edge of the cup of her bra where it was creating a little stain. It was only visible because at some point her dressing gown had come loose and was now gaping widely around her breasts.

"Oh," she said absent-mindedly, unsure what to do. Her exclamation brought Battousai's attention and she blushed as his eyes found the blood. Then his eyes met hers and for a long time they just considered each other. She could see the want in his eyes, and the conflict of not wanting to ask her. Eventually however, she just shrugged and said;

"Waste not want not, I guess."

She tried to giggle, but really she was nervous again. Battousai held her gaze as she felt his arm at her back. Then he was bending towards her breast and she was holding her breath. She was surprised by how warm he was now. While not quite normal body temperature, he was very close, and she noticed his lips were flushed a violent, cherry red, which looked very strange on him in combination with his hair. His mouth was gentle against he cleaned up the blood. She tried to ignore the hardening of her nipples as he worked his way upwards. She realised also that he was trying to mask his licks with kisses, and thought it was odd that he should be modest in this way, trying to pretend that he was not crazed with blood-lust when only moments ago he had been locked firmly onto her neck.

When he reached the wound he had fed from, he licked that too, drawing his tongue across it slowly, the slight pressure causing twinges of pain. He kept doing this, and eventually Kaoru was forced to ask, embarrassed;

"Um, what are you doing?" Battousai paused only long enough to answer her.

"It helps the healing and prevents infection. It will also prevent a scar from forming. Be still." And he continued licking his bite tenderly, like a cat liking its kitten. After a moment more of this, Kaoru noticed that the pain had disappeared, so she made a mental note to inform Megumi on the medicinal properties of vampire saliva. Once Battousai was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped, he drew back again.

"You will probably need a transfusion of blood. I suggest you visit the doctor tonight," he said. Kaoru sighed. She didn't like that idea, though she knew it was for the best. She was feeling a bit light-headed. But she really didn't want to walk in there and ask for some blood with Battousai's fang marks fresh on her neck. And it wasn't like she could just wear a scarf, Megumi would want to know why before she handed over any plasma. Kaoru hadn't considered how her friends would react to her getting Battousai to bite her. It would probably set Sano's unstable friendship with Kenshin back a few steps. She knew they really wouldn't like the idea of her feeding Battousai, they'd probably see it as her prostituting herself, or him taking advantage. And she'd thought all the drama with getting her friends to accept the vampire was over.

Kaoru rested her head on Battousai's shoulder again, suddenly feeling the need for closeness. Remembering what it had felt like made her unashamed, but that was easy when they were alone in her apartment. Thinking about the consequences made her remember why she'd done it in the first place.

"So what do you say, Battousai? Do you still hate my guts?" she asked. Battousai narrowed his eyes, not hostilely, just wary of her making demands of him.

"I will be civil," he said guardedly. His tone suggested the condition of further payments of blood, but that was okay. From the moment he had pulled her against him, Kaoru had accepted that it wouldn't be a one-shot thing. She wondered about the implications of that, but her head started to hurt so she stopped.

"Thank you, that's all I ask," she replied, her eyelids drooping closed. But she knew it was only a half-truth. She wanted more from him than civility, just like he already possessed more of her, but she was as of yet still unsure whether she would be asking him for it.


	26. The Mating Ceremony

Chapter 26

The ceremony had been simple, a quick signing of papers in a suitably impersonal government office. Tokio hadn't found it necessary, but Saitoh insisted their estates be combined in the eyes of the law. He said that once they were mated, they would be more like one unit, and that everything he owned would become hers, and vice versa. So she'd signed the marriage certificate and that was that.

Tokio knew the real "wedding" would come later, when they were back at the house Saitoh kept in the city. The mating ceremony. She hadn't been surprised when Saitoh had decided that he would take her as his mate after all, it was what she had been hoping for and she'd known it was a possibility. Logically, she knew she was the best choice for someone who had so much pride in his pack lineage, and she didn't really mind if her Shinsengumi ancestry was what had attracted him. She was one of the best witches she had ever met. She would be a good mate for him.

All Saitoh had told her about the mating ceremony was that it involved reciting vows, just as in a normal wedding, and that she would be losing her virginity. She wasn't afraid, she could tell Saitoh thought more of their relationship now that he knew he'd be the first and only man in her life. That last night, when he'd walked out on her, had just been shock. She was confident about her body, she'd heard enough catcalls and chat-up lines for that. And all she had to do was look at her husband and remember what was hidden under that police uniform for any nerves to dissipate. She was sure she was the luckiest woman alive. It felt like her whole life had been leading up to this. She was meant to be the one to take care of him.

Saitoh knew he was certain about this course of action, just as he knew that Tokio was glad to be his mate, and he trusted her Shinsengumi background had taught her enough about how to be the wife of a wolf like him. She wouldn't smother him, or nag, or be unpleasant in any way, but every so often, he had to struggle with an uncharacteristic Fight or Flight urge. It was just cold feet; he was closing the book on the last two hundred years of his life and was starting a new chapter as one of a pair, no longer standing alone. There were arrangements to be made to make sure she wouldn't be a weakness to him. Her magic could help with that. His house would become a fortress, only now it would be _their_ house. Could he handle not sleeping alone anymore, seeing her _every _day, not having his own private space anymore? He was sure she'd go away if he told her to, but once they were mated properly, that wouldn't be a pleasant option.

He looked across at where she was walking beside him and was reassured that she was worth it, and perfectly tolerable. He knew he couldn't let her pass out of his life, for while he could certainly return to bachelor life, there would be moments of regret, which to him seemed intolerable. It suddenly struck him that, with a mate, he may end up repopulating the Shinsengumi pack. That was a daunting thought. Of course he could handle being alpha male, and he was a fine role model for anyone, and Tokio would of course do the work involved in raising any... results. But it would mean more people in his house, little people that might resemble him, and require him, and... He would love for the Shinsengumi to return to their former glory, but... Children. He was Hajime Saitoh, not "Daddy".

Well, it should be easy enough to put off procreating until he knew how he felt about it. They had hundreds of years in front of them.

ooo

Saitoh's house was dark and impersonal. Tokio heard him toss his keys onto a small table she had noticed coming in. She took one last look at the living room, trying to understand that it was hers now, before following him to the bedroom. She had worn a kimono to the civil wedding, white, with a sparse pattern in burgundy of thin branches and small flowers along the hem and cuffs, with a dark red obi. She felt she should make some kind of effort. Saitoh hadn't said anything about it, but she knew him well enough to know that that meant he didn't dislike it. The truth was that he appreciated the ideology behind it, and the antiquated elegance it gave her. He had been able to keep up with the times, but that didn't mean he had got over women in kimono. That was still his ideal of beauty, as he'd been brought up to believe.

He hadn't turned on any lights as they'd walked through the house, his supernatural night vision meant it didn't even occur to him, and nor did he turn on the light in his bedroom. Everything was shrouded in an indigo half-light, visible, but indistinct. The room was not large, with a double bed opposite the door central in the room. Tokio could see dark silhouettes indicating the basic bedroom furniture such as a wardrobe and a bedside table. The polished wood seemed to shine with light reflected from an invisible source. She noticed a large chest at the foot of the bed.

Tokio's heart sped faster and jumped to her throat at the sight of the bed, an actual, very obvious, physical presence of what was about to happen. She paused, looking at it, while Saitoh continued to the bedside table, where he took off his watch. She heard it clink heavily against the wood, and she jumped, then realized that she mustn't be afraid, that to stand hovering in the doorway was not the way the Mibu Wolf's mate should act.

She strode forward towards the other side of the bed, trying to instil some confidence in herself, while trying to still the weak shaking of her knees. She began untying her obi, her back to the bed and Saitoh, facing a chair onto which she planned to deposit her clothes. Warm hands startled her as they closed around her fingers.

"Allow me," said her husband, his voice low and intimate, sending the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. She wondered whether anything she did affected him the way just his voice affected her. She obligingly lowered her hands to her sides, smiling slightly as love for him warmed through her. She heard fabric sliding on fabric as he slowly untied the knot with sure movements, until it loosened and slipped off her waist to pool around her feet, the kimono slackening but not opening. She turned slowly to face him, finding him as casually emotionless as usual, only his eyes gave any sign of what he was thinking. They were watching her hungrily, so much like a pet wolf waiting for its master's say before devouring the rabbit.

He was naked from the waist up, and the heat that poured off his skin brushed her gently. It seemed like they were just picking up from where they left off the last time. The sight of his eyes, shining gold even in the dark of the room, as narrow and as powerful as to be the envy of any predator, tightened the muscles in her stomach like an electric shock, and she felt her nerves uncoil, warm and safe. His hands hovered forgotten near her waist. The kimono was now revealing a strip of bare skin, the swell of her cleavage, her lightly toned stomach, interrupted only by the matching midnight blue of her lingerie, decorated with black lace. She had selected it with care, thinking black too eager, and white too symbolic. Slowly, her hands moved to her shoulders, slipping off the kimono, which landed at her feet with a gentle _wumph _in the dark. Her high heels gave her the perfect proportions, slimming her legs and rounding her hips.

Saitoh watched her actions with the same hungry look, following her hands wherever they led, until she was divested of her kimono, and he was free to examine her body in close to its entirety. The animal in him lusted after her obviously healthy, strong body. It gave him a dark, rumbling feeling low in his chest, like thunder building. She closed the gap between them, one perfect leg coming forward in a gracefully seductive step, and she rested her fingertips softly on the twin muscles off his chest, her nails just long enough to be felt. Something in him was emitting the message that he was dangerous, but that was what made him so exhilarating. She tilted her head as she looked at him, then rose, and pressed a kiss just under his jaw.

Saitoh shuddered against her, coming to life again, and his arms came up around her to squeeze her tightly against him. Tokio let her hand trail down his bicep, adoring the feel of his strength surrounding her, so volatile, yet so controlled. He was treating her carefully, but he wasn't holding back, and nor would he ever, and she got a light, giddy feeling from that knowledge. Saitoh caught her lips in a hot, hungry kiss, and she was forced to sling her arms around his neck and hold him as best she could, lest the opposing push and pull of his searching kiss and his arms bend her backwards in two.

He was so warm, better than an open fire at Christmas. His belt buckle dug into her stomach. She knew most people didn't like kissing smokers, they said it was like kissing an ashtray, but she loved the residual taste of tobacco in him. Briefly, she was reminded of the old saying _Where there's smoke, there's fire_, and he certainly had that. She was an off and on smoker herself, always trying to quit, but always going back. Saitoh was like a cigarette himself in ways, delicious but dangerous, and so addictive.

And if it was possible to make out with the personification of your addiction, wouldn't you?

Gradually, Tokio slid her arms back to hold his face in her hands, forcing herself to separate from him and extricate herself from his arms. He let her go, a little dazed, his dissatisfaction quickly returning his edge, and he watched her, curious to see what she had planned. He studied her as, holding his glowing eyes with her own coal-red ones, she stepped away from him back towards the bed. Saitoh followed her as she pulled gently on his belt. She sat on the bed and he stood between her knees, looking down at her, watching as she moved smoothly back until, supported on her elbows, she was lounged in front him like a model in a Victoria's Secret spread, beckoning to him with her eyes while they both knew he was not capable of refusing her.

It was an excellent vantage point for her to admire her husband's perfect musculature. The navy of his trousers went well with his skin tone. She noticed he was barefoot, and the duvet of the bed had been pulled back. He must have made these small preparations when she'd had her back turned, untying her obi. It was so like him to foresee the awkward parts and get them out of the way, unseen, beforehand. Her heart beat faster as her husband lowered himself, carefully pulling off the high heels with a kiss on her knee as he went, muscles working beneath the skin, to crawl on top of her. She let herself down, resting her head on the pillow, her hair gently curling softly beneath her. She felt the weight of his hips settle over hers and against her one raised leg before the rest of him followed and he kissed her again.

His kiss had a pulse, a rhythm that felt deep and wild, like it came from the irrational, instinctual wolf inside him. She opened her mouth and he tasted her, slipping his tongue inside to seek hers. Her hands were back cupping his strong jaw, while his moved up her side teasingly, until he met with her bra. He swiftly ran his hand over the soft silk cup, the rough lace border, and the pliant flesh beyond that. Tokio twitched once defensively in reaction to being touched where she'd never been touched before, then forced herself to relax, focusing on returning his kiss with more fervour in encouragement as she began to feel dizzy with the new sensations.

He pressed his thumb roughly along the curve of the under wire, back and forth, then over her breast, not concerned with removing the bra just yet. He shifted his weight onto his arm and withdrew his mouth from hers, only to relocate it instantly to her neck. He pressed kisses unforgivingly down the softest line of her neck until he reached her collarbone. Tokio held the back of his head and did nothing to hide her impassioned panting. Saitoh pressed on her breast, pushing it up as he lowered his mouth, sealing his hot mouth on it, and pulling back, sucking gently.

He put his other arm on the other side of her, suspending himself over her, his face buried in the hills of her breasts, his heated breath leaving condensation between them. As he did so, his knee came up to rub softly between her legs, and as her back arched with the intimate feeling of her husband's tongue dipping expertly under her bra to lick the edge of one of her breasts, she began to unconsciously grind her hips against his knee. She also scratched her nails through his hair, fingers extending behind his ear to dig her nails in and draw them back again.

As she did so, a shot of pure ecstasy raced like lightning down Saitoh's spine, momentarily causing his muscles to turn to water, his eyes to roll back into his head, and his breath to blow out of him in a gasp that was thankfully not an obvious groan. One elbow, luckily, locked, and saved him from collapsing onto his new bride. The effect lasted only an instant, and recovery took two, but mercifully, Tokio hadn't seemed to notice.

Saitoh realised immediately what it was. Like most common, domestic dogs the world over, he liked to have his ears scratched, something he hadn't even known himself. An embarrassing truth. He more than liked it, apparently, even in human form. He cringed at the thought of how he would suffer in wolf form. He was instantly determined that this discovery would never get out, though he did realise that, regrettably, Tokio would probably accidentally come across that spot again with her long nails in the centuries they had before them, and she would inevitably discover his weakness. But she would be the only one who would be allowed to live with the knowledge. He wondered briefly if every other werewolf was the same, but then he told himself he didn't care, he was Shinsengumi, he was above having his ears scratched. Though, he considered, perhaps once Tokio found out about it, it would only be prudent to test it once in a while, in the privacy of their own home.

He put it out of his mind and turned his attention back to the mounds of creamy skin before him, and, satisfied that he had explored all he could without undressing her further, took advantage of the passionate arching of her back to slip his hand between her shoulder blades and unlatch the soft, midnight blue bra that had been so entertaining. It was strapless, so it came away instantly, a feature that made Saitoh praise its combination of form and function. Tokio felt the covering and support disappear and she looked to see Saitoh drop it primly over the side of the bed. A little apprehensive, inexperienced as she was, her muscles tightened, bracing for his attentions. Saitoh felt her stiffen and wasn't surprised, but he wanted his bride to be relaxed, and craving him, so he dutifully ignored her chest and kissed her mouth, something she was much more familiar with.

Tokio realized what he was doing, though she hadn't expected it, and she was grateful, but also a little embarrassed. She wanted to do something to show him she wasn't afraid or regretful, that she actively wanted to do this. So, while returning his kiss, she ran her hands down his chest, working her fingers into every curve and definition. His nipples grazed against her palms and she smoothed her thumb down the line of hair that disappeared into his trousers. Saitoh was a little surprised, but he allowed himself to be touched this way, enjoying tracking her fingers over his skin, and feeling the slight tingle she left behind.

She moved her legs to either side of him so that he rested between them properly, and tightened her thighs across his hips, feeling for the first time the backside that she had admired for so long. Her husband had an enviable ass, alright. She kissed his neck; sucking, adoring kisses, tasting him, realizing how real this was and how much she wanted him.

"You don't have to be afraid of rushing me," she invited in a low voice, close to his ear. "I was born for this, to be yours. So just show me what you want."

As they had been kissing, Saitoh's arm had occasionally brushed her breasts, as if by accident, though she was sure it wasn't. She made an educated guess that he was trying to acclimatise her to being touched there. But now that she had said her piece, she was suddenly hauled up so that her head and shoulders rested against the headboard, Saitoh's hands holding her waist tightly. He quickly fastened his mouth, hot and wet, over her nipple, his teeth digging in as his tongue worked furiously over her, drawing a cry from her. She didn't know if he was trying to prove a point or if he was simply giving into his lust, but she suspected it was a mix of the two. Either way, the incredible rush of the intimacy and sexuality tinged with the feeling of assault made Tokio curve over him and press his mouth into her, moaning, her hair falling over her shoulder to brush his cheek as her head bowed over him in a convulsion of pleasure.

His hand also began to creep up her thigh, massaging it as he went, until his hand reached the underwear she still wore. His hand spread heat through the fabric to her as it rested on her pubic bone, while his thumb rubbed hard circles over the most sensitive part of her body. She whimpered out loud, her breath coming in frenzied pants, but he didn't stop. His mouth continued to draw hungrily on her breast, and his hands now tore that last, damp garment from her so fiercely that she was sure it had broken. Immediately, however, his hand returned, one of his long fingers sinking into her without warning, and his thumb resuming its previous attentions. As his finger pumped mercilessly inside her, quickly joined by a second, Tokio felt overcome, as if things were moving too fast but taking too long at the same time, as if a tidal wave was rushing towards her, but at the moment the water was only waist deep. She called his name, hoping he would understand her desire to take the next step before whatever was about to happen in her, happened. He seemed to understand, as the rhythm of his intimate touch changed, becoming slower, but deeper, more languid. He moved away from her breasts, sliding up her body to speak.

"There are vows that need to be said. All you have to do is answer," he breathed heavily, his voice low and harsh, with a hurried, desperate tone, as if he too was facing the tidal wave. His hands left her body to rid himself of his trousers, and finally she felt the erotic heat of his bare skin uninterrupted down the length of her body.

"Yes, anything," was all she could manage. The acute ache in her groin was pressing on her brain, begging for the pressure that she knew only his hard manhood, seated inside her, could provide. But her heart, or whatever it was that recognised him as her mate, as worshipped and perfect and essential to her life as he was, had yearnings of its own. She longed to be one with him, to fit together as one being, to take him inside her and be bound to him forever. She wanted to fulfil nature's course, seal him to her in the most primal and beautifully simple way. She didn't want to be a woman uncompleted anymore, she wanted him to show her and initiate her into her new life as his lover.

Tokio could feel his erection pressing gently between her thighs, and it took every single ounce of control Saitoh had ever learned to keep it there and not ruin the mating ceremony. Of course, that might mean they would have to start again... Saitoh quickly saved himself from that thought by using the concentration techniques that he had only ever used in battle before this. It was a good thing he was always confident he would win, because even a tiny bit of self-doubt would be enough of a weakness for the sheer magnetic pull of her body to destroy him. He knew he'd made the right choice in his mate with absolute certainty. He'd never felt this way about anyone before, it was already as if to be separated from her would break his mind. They were drawing each other in, it was inevitable, it had always been meant to be. The hard part was waiting, and remembering the vows he had learned. He had not realised just how much he would physically need her when learning the ceremony. He'd never had this kind of trouble with a woman before. He tried to formulate the sentences in his mind, assemble his scattered thoughts, but it was like his body screamed for Tokio in a new wave of hot lust at every second word.

He kissed her again as he remembered the first step. They had to "feel" each other, be in some kind of sync. Tokio began to feel his power rolling and curling against her skin relentlessly as he released it to mix with her ki. It was almost too much, like standing in front of an open furnace door, his ki was red-hot, it felt like it was singeing her as it poured out of him, just this side of tolerable. She projected some of her own ki to meet it, hoping to cool it a bit as they mixed. The moment they touched, his volatile wolf ki flared defensively, but she kept her ki steady, neither advancing nor retreating, waiting for him to come to her. She knew it was not really Saitoh that was reacting to her this way, but the wolf inside him. She could recognise the force she was feeling as the black wolf that had saved her in the Akabeko, but this was wilder, it was uncoupled with the human reason and expression of Saitoh's mind.

Slowly it returned to brush all around the limits of her ki, sensing and testing her, the heat tickling her. Then it came more eagerly than before, wanting to explore her now it had decided she was safe. It moved over her body as if it recognised it, as if it had found what it was looking for. The two powers stroked and teased each other, the borders between them becoming more and more indistinct. Saitoh broke the kiss and moved to her neck, nuzzling and nibbling along her skin to her shoulder. Tokio submerged herself in his ki, hoping to drown in him. She learned that her husband was more resourceful than she had realised; he was redirecting his powerful ki to push and press and stroke all over and inside her.

It was a feeling she'd never thought possible. She'd invaded other people's bodies before in her career as a witch, and been invaded herself, but it had always hurt, it had always been offensive and dangerous. Saitoh moved through her with the intense loyalty of a canine with the clear priority of making sure she was as happy and healthy as humanly possible. Tiny tingles flared and disappeared as the wolf-spirit healed any flaws it found, even on the cellular level, until she was perfect. She had never felt so cherished in all her life. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes drifted closed as his warmth continued to fill her up, until it had finished healing her and was redirected to pleasure her. Its tone changed as it twisted through her, teasing her and making her heart race. She writhed as she felt without touch, the pressure that had been waiting just below the surface coming alive again, responding and playing with the arousal she was being given.

Tokio tried her best to control her ki as well. She knew Saitoh would feel anything she did to his ki while it was inside her, and it was easy to trap it lightly, and flood it with pleasure. It twisted and writhed, though it wasn't trying to escape. Saitoh responded, growling low next to her ear, his chest rumbling against hers, and pressing his hips harder against hers. Next, she did exactly what he'd done to her, and used her ki as a tangible thing to brush down the length of his body until it swirled powerfully around his erection.

He growled again, louder this time, and began the vows quickly.

"Tokio Takagi, daughter of the Shinsengumi, do you agree to be my mate?"

"Yes," she answered, almost begging as his hand found her again.

"To be mine to protect?" he said, before pushing his face into her hair and snarling into her ear, and adding between gritted teeth, "And only mine?"

"Yes," Tokio was becoming aware at the edges of her mind of a faint stirring in the cocoon of power they had built around themselves, a sort of fizzing where their two ki met.

"Mine to possess?"

"Yes," At every new condition that she desperately agreed to, she could feel something like locks sliding into place, doors closing, in her soul. She knew now that she would never find another man attractive, now that she had sworn herself to Saitoh. The magic was so powerful, that the thought was not frightening or aggravating, but felt like a gift.

"As one heart,"

"Yes," As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her chest. It passed quickly, and Tokio realised that now their hearts were beating in time. She was in awe of the connection being weaved between them.

"One body," There could be no mistaking what he meant.

"Please," replied Tokio, as her muscles spasmed around his fingers.

"Say yes,"

"Yes!"

Saitoh moved himself over her, kissing her deeply and mercilessly one last time before finally giving in and driving himself inside her. Tokio cried out with the completion, and she felt Saitoh shudder against her, though he managed to remain silent. Saitoh waited until she was still again, his hand running up her thigh over her hip and back again, reassuring her.

For a while he let himself forget everything but the present sensations of taking his mate for the first time. He didn't think about his reputation or the changes that would have to be made to accommodate her in his life, he didn't think about the vows or the ceremony, he even let go of being Shinsengumi for a moment. He wanted to be sure that this moment would be sealed forever in his history and memory. It was a simple moment that was of the utmost importance.

Then he began to move. He allowed himself to become lost in her. Their ki picked up the ebb and flow of their rolling rhythm. They were melting together, just as they were supposed to. All his defences were down, as were hers, and they could feel each other like a physical presence in their minds. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Saitoh knew he needed more control, more solidity if he wanted to finish the vows, so he tried to gather his mind without disentangling himself from her.

Time picked up again and the past and future returned. He looked down at her, slowly pushing deep inside her.

"One mind," he said, resuming the vows.

"Yes," she answered as always. She wrapped one leg around him for support and began to move with him, meeting his thrusts as her desire became more demanding. She became aware of a new tie between them, and when she examined it more closely, she heard Saitoh's voice in her mind tell her without words that it was what she thought. They could now, more or less, communicate telepathetically. No matter how far apart they were, they would always be able to contact each other in an emergency.

Tokio found his face and smiled, then pulled him down roughly for a kiss. His thrusts came faster as they both began to near their climax. His hands found her wrists and pushed them down against the mattress, dominantly holding her there.

"One spirit," said Saitoh breathily, barely remembering to do so under the duress off fighting off the orgasm that Tokio was mercilessly driving him to. Thankfully, his mate replied quickly, and he was free. That was the end of the vows. They came together as the magic binding them culminated suddenly.

Any barriers that had miraculously managed to remain between them up to that point were blasted into non-existence. Saitoh's wolf spirit leapt from him into Tokio as their orgasm exposed them. It made a home for itself in her soul, then flowed back to its master as they descended back to Earth, leaving a portion of itself behind. The ceremony was now complete.

They stayed motionless as they got their breath back. Tokio examined the little part of Saitoh that now resided in her. It responded to the touch of her ki, raising its head and stirring as she stroked it. She knew it wasn't enough to make her transform during the full moon, but it was enough to ensure that she would live as long as Saitoh did. She tried getting it to play like a puppy, and it seemed to be doing it, but her husband drew her attention back to the outside world as he kissed her before moving off her.

"I could feel that, you know," he said, his eyes opening to look at her, referring to her attentions to his wolf spirit. Tokio almost blushed, but she was too tired.

"Sorry, I'll stop," she replied. She could already feel the little fraction of wolf-ki curling up for a rest. It must have been tired too.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He lay on his side, making sure their bodies were touching all the way down. After that much intimacy, the joining of body and soul, it would be bordering on painful to put too much distance between them too soon. Especially for Saitoh, who would be leaving a part of himself behind. Tokio rolled onto her side to face him, hugging him close. She could still feel him on the edges of her mind, but their ki were cooling down, separating, shrinking back into their individual owners. But before that happened, there was something she wanted to do.

She gently laid her fingertips in the centre of his chest, and let him see through their established mind-link what she intended to do before it faded. He watched her carefully, but didn't protest, and she felt a little flare as he opened himself to her again. She was grateful for his co-operation, and she closed her eyes, focusing her ki. She was connected to him almost instantly, an effect of their mating that she had anticipated but it had still taken her by surprise. She quickly did what she had intended and left a little tag behind in his ki with her magic. It would act basically the same way as his wolf-spirit would in her, making him easier to sense, and it would make her magic work better on him.

"Thank you," she said, withdrawing her power. "Now we're even."

A moment passed in silence while they both got lost in their own thoughts. Their ki were fully separated now, but they hadn't let go of each other just yet.

"How will people know I'm your mate?" asked Tokio abruptly.

"What do you mean?" Saitoh replied looking at her.

"I mean it doesn't show, does it? So how will they know I'm yours?" Saitoh smiled slightly to hear her refer to herself as his, but it turned sour when he understood what she meant.

"They'll just be able to sense it," he answered, the violence of his thoughts concerning other males approaching his mate coming through in his voice by making lower than usual with a slight growl in it.

"Humans won't be able to. And will they be able to tell I'm yours specifically, or just that I'm mated?"

"They'll know your mine," he answered, snarling even more. Tokio snuggled closer to him and smiled,

"Good. I like that," she said, and suddenly Saitoh was perfectly calm again, reassured that she was completely his. He wrapped his arm tighter around her and said;

"And as for humans, I'll buy you a ring."

Tokio murmured in response, but she was clearly on the verge of sleep, so Saitoh lay back so that she could lie on his chest, her head tucked against his shoulder. As tired as he was, he remained awake for a few minutes, watching his new soul mate sleep with a slight smile on his face.

ooo

The next morning, Tokio woke first. She watched her husband sleep with awe, listening to him breathing and smoothing back strands of his hair, and just feeling privileged to be able to see him like that. She knew that touching him in his sleep would usually merit an immediate gatotsu, but he didn't even wake up. She reasoned that it must be because she was his mate, something in him must recognise her as not being a threat.

But after about thirty minutes of this, she decided she should probably go and find the bathroom in her new house, so she slipped on her kimono from the night before, as it was the only clothes she had to hand, and crawled off the bed. In the dim, curtained morning light, however, she stubbed her toe on the chest that he kept on the foot of the bed. Seeing it, and hearing the dull thunk, made her curious, and she knelt in front of it after checking Saitoh hadn't woken up.

She undid the latch and slowly raised the heavy lid. The first thing she saw was pale blue fabric. She gently lifted it out and unfolded it, and gasped. It was Saitoh's old Shinsengumi hanten. Tokio stared at it in reverence, it had to be two hundred years old! She had never, ever seen one before, not even her grandfather's. She rubbed the fabric between her thumb and finger, it was still in good condition. It must have been expertly made. She clutched it to her chest, it was cool and soft, and so beautiful. It was the symbol that defined her existence, especially now that she had become the mate of the infamous Mibu Wolf. It was like finding the holy grail!

She looked around and her eyes fell on a long mirror behind her. She _had_ to try it on. Checking once more that Saitoh was still asleep, she quickly shrugged off her kimono and slipped the hanten on, then stood with a twirl to look at herself. She grinned at herself; she looked like a Shinsengumi sex-bomb! Her thick dark hair tumbled over her shoulders, and she held it closed with one hand so that she was modest, but not really. Wiggling her shoulders, she got it to slip open until quite a lot of her cleavage was on display, as well as her stomach. It was far too big for her anyway, coming half-way down her thighs and making her hands look dainty and thin. With her free hand she held her hair up in a ponytail and imagined herself with the matching headband. Looking at herself like that, she felt that she had been born into the wrong era, that she belonged two hundred years ago, during the Shinsengumi's prime. She would have made an amazing wife back then, she could have helped Saitoh with her magic and kept his bed warm at night for his return.

Unfortunately, what she didn't know was that Saitoh had woken up the moment his mate had left his arms, and that he had just been pretending to be asleep out of curiosity of what she'd do on her own. He didn't mind that she had opened the trunk and tried on his old hanten, as it had a result which made it worth it.

"It looks good on you," he said, making Tokio jump and spin around to look at him, dropping her hair so that it flowed against the blue again.

When Tokio saw the look in her husband's eyes, she knew she hadn't angered him, and she certainly didn't move to cover herself. His golden eyes had that predatory element again. He liked her in his old uniform.

"Thank you," she said, unsure exactly what else to say. Seeing him lying on the bed, naked though covered with the sheet, looking at her like that, made last night come back to her suddenly more vividly, and made her a little shy. This was after all her first "morning after." But while she was not ready to make the first move, she was not opposed to an encore of last night.

She turned back to look at herself in the mirror, waiting for him to join her. He appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her, slipping one hand under the hanten to stroke her waist. Tokio leant her head back onto his shoulder and they admired the reflection they made as a couple. They went perfectly together, like the single unit Saitoh had said they would be.

Tokio grinned, turning in her husband's arms to kiss him. He growled playfully against her lips and tugged at his Shinsengumi hanten, that he had worn with such pride for so long, that had seen the most dangerous and bloody battles of his life, and that his new mate now wore with a similar pride, before he slowly led them back to the bed.


	27. The Lookout

Chapter 27

"This way, Kenshin, come on,"

Kenshin's hands were cold in hers as she led him gently forward, navigating rocks and shrubs in the dark.

"Keep your eyes closed, no peeking."

Kaoru had been planning this trip for a while. The wind raised goosebumps on her neck as it swirled past, lifting her hair, but she only smiled. The moon was out, supplying just enough light to see by. You could see the stars out here.

"We're almost there."

They'd left the car a little while back, parked in a patch of dirt where the road bended. Kaoru had done this dozens of times before. The trees on her right as she walked backwards were a dark, impenetrable wall, but on her left the slope was smoothing out, becoming a natural viewing point. She gently pulled Kenshin over and positioned him facing over the cliff. She kept her gaze on him, wanting to see his reaction, having seen the view herself many times before. But she still wasn't accustomed to his looks yet, sometimes it still hit her just as hard as the first time. His otherworldly perfection, his vampiric pallor, and the impossibly red hair, all complimented by the new modern clothes they'd bought, were more impressive than the view. 

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Kenshin's amethyst irises fluttered open, and she heard him gasp slightly as his lips parted. Kaoru grinned, then looked over her shoulder to share the experience. Below them lay the city of Tokyo. It was the middle of the night, but headlights could still be seen weaving slowly through the complicated infrastructure of the city centre, like blood beating through the city's veins. It was a jewellery box of lights, and every busy, calm, sad, or happy person had a bead. The valley itself was invisible in the dark, a tar pit with coloured stars reflected on the surface. 

The stars themselves could be seen with rare clarity away from the city's interference. There wasn't an inch of sky that didn't have one in it, and they stretched on overhead like eternity, as far in front of, behind and above them as the mind could conceive. The scent of the fir trees mixed with the cold, bitter air to be smelled ever-so-faintly, and the silence was complete and comforting.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? I come up here to think sometimes," said Kaoru, looking out over the city. "It gives me perspective, you know? Reminds me why I'm doing what I do. All those people down there have no idea about vampires, and werewolves, and witches. It's funny, isn't it? Those people exist, completely free of all the things that define my life. And yet, I'm fighting to keep them safe."

Silence returned for a moment as they both stared out into the glittering valley and thought about what had been said. Kaoru still had Kenshin's hand in her own. He was being so still that she glanced at him quickly. The entire city was held as a bundle of lights in each of his violet eyes.

"They have no idea how close they came to having their lives changed entirely by something they think is just a myth. Or that they owe you their lives, Kenshin." She squeezed his hand, and he turned to look at her. "We all do. You're a hero." 

She smiled, knowing how he would take her words, and predictably he lowered his gaze and turned his eyes back to the city below him.

"Kaoru..."

She cut him off, not wanting to go down that road again just yet. 

"But I suppose that's why we do it. So that they don't have to know." 

A slight breeze spun up the cliff-face and swept over them without even noticing they were there. They let silence creep back to them as Kaoru considered again what she had already spent many hours thinking about on that peak. 

The silence scattered as Kaoru remembered something new, which she voiced quietly, wanting to share without wanting a real reaction.

"I was up here the night I was kidnapped by the Juppongatana. I needed to do some thinking then, too. About us."

They looked at each other. Kaoru didn't know what she was expecting, or even whether she was expecting anything or not. Strands of Kenshin's bangs lifted and floated in the air, before lying still again. She continued.

"I was beginning to strongly suspect that I was in love with you, especially after we kissed, the night you almost starved yourself to death, but I didn't know what that would mean. I'd killed a lot of vampires in my time, and you were so mysterious! Hitokiri Battousai, with a vow not to kill. Who you were, and what I knew, made no sense. I'm not very experienced with men and love and relationships, but there I was, falling in love with a man I'd known for less than a week, and no offence, but you're not exactly the most practical choice."

Luckily, Kenshin smiled, understanding what she meant, and how inconvenient their relationship was from her point of view. His experience of Sano's hatred for him was enough to make it crystal clear.

"But I knew I wouldn't be able to give you up. So I came up here to think of answers, how I could make it work. And I didn't even know if you liked me!" She laughed briefly. "I suppose one of the big questions is do we even have a future together? You're immortal, and I really am not. We only have ten or twenty years before I look more like your mother than your lover. I know you could make me into a vampire too, and I did think about that, but I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. Living forever while all my friends aged and died, drinking blood and never seeing the sun again... It's just not who I am.

"And will we ever get married? What's the point when we know how it's going to end? I won't tie you to me like that. And we'll never have children, Megumi told me that I can't get pregnant from you. I always thought that one day I'd be a mother, most people do, but now I think about it, I guess it's better this way. A vampire and someone whose job is defined by the graveyard shift probably aren't ideal parents."

Kenshin let Kaoru talk. She obviously needed to get these things off her chest, to work them out aloud. They would have had to talk about them sooner or later. If they were going to be in a real relationship, they needed to understand one another, but it hurt him to hear how much he was taking away from her, after she had given him so much.

Suddenly, she looked at him, and pulled herself close to him. She laid her hand against his jaw, making him look at her.

"But having said all that, I want you to know that what you have given me is so much more. You're worth it, Kenshin, trust me. I love you like I never thought I'd love anybody. And even if we do only have thirty years together, that's still more than some people get. And who knows, maybe something will happen before then, maybe I'll get killed, or something else entirely that we won't be able to predict. The point is, when I'm with you, I'm happier than I've ever been, and I hope I make you happy too. I don't know what's going to happen to us, or how this whole situation with Battousai is going to work, but I'm going to _make_ it work, because I'm not going to let it get in the way."

Now Kenshin felt that it was his turn to talk.

"Kaoru, I am so sorry that your life with me will never be what it could be with someone else, but I fully intend to spend my life and yours making it everything it can be. I am not going to give up again. You have shown me that life is always worth living, and that it can bring something wonderful unexpectedly. Our lives will not be normal. Shishio was probably not the last danger we have to face, that is a burden I have to bear for my past, but you are worth more. While I have it in me to deny myself happiness, I know that if I took myself away from you, even for your own safety, I would be hurting you, and that is something I could never bear to do. 

"It does no good to think about the future, because we cannot tell what it will bring. I never thought I would find myself here, in this situation, with these feelings, being held by someone like you. You are probably right to say that something will happen to change our problems and situations. But I can tell you now that I will be there with you when it comes. I will not leave unless you tell me to, and I will never return to the cold life I led as a Rurouni hiding in shadows. You have told me that I deserve more than that punishment, and while I'm not sure if I believe it just yet, I hope that I do. You have saved me from myself, and for that I will always be in your debt. But that is not the only reason I will stay with you. I love you, Kaoru-dono."

Kaoru gasped a little as she heard him say what he never had before. Then she slowly leant up to kiss him. When they broke apart, she rested her head against his chest, facing out over the oblivious, beautiful city. Their lives would not be normal, quiet, or predictable, but they would have security in each other, of that they could be sure.

The wind ran past again, gently caressing them. It was no longer a harsh and bitter wind that bit and snapped at you, now it was warmer, softer. Kaoru smiled.

Spring was definitely on its way.

**Author's Note:** Okay! So that's it! THE END, people. I know this chapter's short, but that's okay. I'm so sorry about the really long stop before chapter 26, I was just so busy with the new school year, etc, etc, you've heard it all before I'm sure. Thank you so much to Nebulia, who has been my beta for a lot of this story, and to my friend, ScarletPagan (? hope I got that right) who also contributed invaluable help and advice, along with some grade-A plot development for some other stories that aren't going to get written.

And speaking of not getting written, I am not going to write the sequel for this. I don't have the time. Maybe in a year or two, but I don't think anyone wants to wait that long, so. But if you're just dying to know what I had planned (and it was some pretty good stuff too, sniff) the ask me in your reply about your favourite character's and I'll be delighted to tell you. Though don't steal my ideas, obviously. I don't know if I want anyone else to write the sequel (which was going to be called "Tokyo Dawn," by the way) for me, but I suppose I might conceivably consider it. I want my baby to live. Obviously, if I do that, I want to be a big part of it, betaing, consulting, etc.

But anyway, Thank you everyone so much! It's been great! I'm almost sad to be leaving. I'll miss you.


	28. Sequel!

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! This is not a new chapter, I just wanted to tell you I'm finally publishing the sequel to this story! Check it out, its called Tokyo Dawn!


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